A Northumberland service which transports cancer patients to and from hospital has asked people to think before they panic buy fuel.

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care is warning that they could be in 'serious trouble' if the fuel crisis carries on into the weekend.

The service transports patients from all over the North East to their chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment.

Dave Harrison, communications director is pleading to people panicking at the pumps to think before they fill up their tanks.

He said: "If people are filling up jerry cans and 4x4's filled with petrol, please think of other people who are in desperate need of that vital service."

Currently their drivers are facing long delays at fuel stations due to people panic buying fuel.

Dave said: "Our difficulty is that the panic buying situation is causing long delays at fuel stations and some of our drivers are having to drive long distances to find fuel.

"Long queues and dry stations are causing havoc."

Daft as a Brush prides itself in taking care of its customers and giving them a hassle free journey to their appointments, but the fuel shortages are causing anxiety with patients who are worried they might not be able to get to them on time.

Dave said: "The night before a patient's appointment, our drivers reassure the patient that they will be there to take them to hospital and confirm a time, but now patients are asking if they will make the appointments due to the current fuel shortages."

The service owns 40 vehicles that need to be full of fuel constantly to transport patients. Dave is worried that if the fuel crisis does not settle down soon and people keep panic buying, the ambulances will not be able to fuel up therefore they will be unable to take patients to their appointments.

Dave said: "If this carries on into the weekend we could be in serious trouble. We would have to cut back services very dramatically.

"It's going to be heartbreaking if we have to cut back our services to cancer patients."

The team at Daft as a Brush are putting together a contingency plan so that the vital service doesn't need to stop due to a lack of fuel.

Dave said: "We need to try and speak with our transport team here, we have a meeting today to try and see if we can reach out to fuelling stations and ask if there is a way we could be prioritised as we are a vital service."

There have been fuel shortages across Northumberland.

We contacted local petrol stations asking if they had any fuel, out of all those contacted this afternoon that wanted to participate only the Shell garages in Hexham and Corbridge had fuel.