Scotland's papers: Fuel 'panic-buying' and HGV driver rules relaxed
Dominating Saturday's front pages is the ongoing supply chain crisis, with scenes of vehicles queuing for petrol featuring in national and local papers. The Courier says queues of traffic were seen at stations in Perth, Fife, Dundee and Angus - despite ministers repeating the message that Britain is not short of fuel.
"It's panic at the pumps" is the headline leading the Daily Mail. The paper says that pleas from Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for drivers to "carry on as normal" were ignored. The Mail says that driver shortages are impacting "every part of the economy" - including supermarkets, restaurants, pubs and water firms.
"Grumpy pumpy" is the Daily Star's take on the situation, with the paper blaming ministers for the chaos.
"Chaotic" is how the Times describes the situation on Britain's roads, with panic buying at the pumps, four-hour queues at the borders and protests which blocked the Port of Dover. The EG group, which owns 400 service stations in Britain, introduced a £30 limit on fuel purchases on Friday in an effort to prevent panic buying, the paper reports. Up to 5,000 drivers will be allowed to enter Britain for a maximum of six months under a new visa scheme, the paper says.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is understood to have dropped her opposition to the visa scheme which will make it easier for foreign lorry drivers to work in the UK, according to the Daily Telegraph. Under the plan, thousands of temporary visas will also be made available for poultry workers in the food processing sector, the paper adds. The Telegraph describes the shortage in drivers as "the latest consumer headache" for the government, after two suppliers in the energy sector collapsed amid rising gas and electricity prices.
The Scotsman says the move by the UK government comes as the British Retail Consortium warned there were ten days to avoid disruption over Christmas. The paper also pictures army personnel as they begin to assist the Scottish Ambulance Service during a time of crisis in Scotland's emergency health care.
The Daily Express says Mr Johnson has lost his "patience" with so-called inaction over the supply chain crisis as he demands a "solution" to the lack of drivers. It is estimated that the UK is short of about 100,000 HGV drivers. Separately, the leading image on the front page features the Duchess of Cambridge and Emma Raducanu as the pair took to the court at Flushing Meadows.
The Daily Record reports that police have launched a criminal investigation into the death of ten-year-old Milly Main at a children's cancer ward. It says the investigation will also look at the deaths of two other children and a 73-year-old woman. A public inquiry into the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is ongoing.
A teaching union will consider demanding that national guidance on supporting transgender pupils be pulled as there is not yet a "clear legislative basis" for the change, reports The Herald.
The National leads with an interview with former first minister Henry McLeish - who said he would support independence if he believed the union "would not change" and that Scotland could be independent "tomorrow".
The Press and Journal's lead story is based on the claims of a former detective who worked on the case of Arlene Fraser, who was killed by her husband Nat Fraser. Alan Smith believes Fraser will never reveal the whereabouts of his wife's body, the paper reports.
The Glasgow Times reports that outsourcing company Capita, which operates in the city, has been caught in a pay "scandal" after admitting to paying thousands of staff below the national minimum wage.
The Weekend Telegraph leads with dramatic CCTV footage of a car being repeatedly driven into a local shop. Witnesses told the paper the scene was "like a movie".
Over 100 cars have been stolen from properties across central Scotland since May, reports the Edinburgh Evening News. The paper carries a warning over "tech savvy" thieves who have been able to steal high-end cars without the keys.
City planners have been urged to draw up proposals on how to improve footfall in Aberdeen city centre, which could include bringing buses back to a main thoroughfare, according to the Evening Express.
And the Scottish Sun claims that Tom Cruise has split from partner Hayley Atwell after a year following a "string of delays and disasters" to their upcoming movie.
