The authority responsible for the northern city of Lille said on Thursday that strikes were affecting the distribution of fuel there and in surrounding areas.

It said striking workers were blockading depots, and that the French government was ready to try to lift the blockades.

On Wednesday, the government said France had tapped its strategic fuel reserves to resupply petrol stations that have run dry, amid strikes by workers at refineries and depots that have crimped production and blocked deliveries. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by John Stonestreet)