Petrol stations in Spain ask the Government if they can close down due to drop in demand, as people are driving less during the lockdown

PETROL stations in Spain have asked the Government whether they can close down due to a drop in demand.

Banks throughout the country have been allowed to close 4,500 branches and merge some together, due to less people needing them.

Petrol stations want to do the same as they were ordered by the Government to stay open, unless they experience a positive case.

However, with the coronavirus crisis extending and not likely to be over soon, these facilities are experiencing less and less customers.

In some cases the drop in demand has exceeded 60% on motorways, 75% in urban areas and even up to 90% in rural areas.

In addition, they insist that the health of more than 53,000 petrol station workers nationwide is at stake.

According to El Mundo, the closure could affect more than a quarter of the country’s petrol stations, a number that exceeds 3,000.

The small, locally owned establishments would have priority over the bigger ones owned by large oil companies, such as BP and Repsol.