PETROL station workers have revealed in a startling survey the level of abuse they are facing as a result of the crisis over supplies.

Staff say they have been left feeling stressed and anxious by the abuse from annoyed motorists as long queues take their toll.

The Usdaw union said a survey of its members showed a “significant minority” of motorists are taking out their frustrations on staff, swearing at them and even deliberately driving cars towards workers.

The union said it believed nearly three-quarters of petrol forecourt workers have been on the wrong end of abuse from customers.

One worker said: “The level of abuse myself and my colleagues have faced has been considerable. 

“We’ve even been accused of keeping fuel for ourselves which is completely untrue. It’s been very stressful.”

Another said: “Drivers swear at us, calling us jobsworths for trying to manage the large queue. Some very aggressive. 

“Police nowhere to be seen. This petrol crisis has added yet another trigger to workplace violence for retail workers.”

Usdaw’s general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “Abuse should never be just a part of the job and there is no excuse for customers to take their frustrations out on staff. 

“The empty shelves and empty petrol pumps that we’ve seen this week are entirely the fault of the government and its complete failure to get a grip on supply issues.

“Yet who takes the brunt of people’s frustrations? It’s not Boris Johnson. It’s overstretched, underpaid, exhausted workers who are doing their best in extremely difficult circumstances. 

“The government must take responsibility for this crisis and urgently find a resolution.”

Unite has also attacked moves by the government to extend HGV lorry drivers’ hours amid the current shortage of workers in the sector.

The union said the maximum number of hours that drivers can drive, due to end on Sunday, will be extended to the end of October.

Ministers are also said to be considering extending the change into the new year.

Unite national officer Adrian Jones said: “The government’s response to the lorry driver crisis has been to extend driving hours, reduce training requirements, water down tests and weaken the licence required to drive a tanker. 

“This is a highly dangerous cocktail and will only lessen safety on the UK’s roads.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “The set of measures we have introduced to alleviate HGV driver shortages do not compromise on safety.”