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90-car long queues start forming at petrol stations over fears of rising prices | News UK | Metro News
March 9, 2026 5 views
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Motorists wait in their cars for over an hour to fill their tanks ahead of the looming price increase and forecasted fuel shortages in the UK (Picture: w8media)
Queues of nearly 100 cars have been seen outside a single London petrol station as fears grow gas prices will soar.
In Bushey, north London, drivers were waiting more than an hour to fill their tanks today as fears set in petrol stations could soon run out.
War in the Middle East has forced companies to suspend all sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies, as Iran carries out retaliation attacks.
Their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during US-Israel strikes dubbed ‘Operation Epic Fury’.
Countries across the region have since been subject to missile attacks by Iran, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
On Sunday morning, two ships in the Strait were hit by projectile missiles, leaving one on fire and four mariners injured.
This has meant the biggest oil exports in the world are suspending journeys, meaning Brits are now in hour-long queues to fill up their cars.
Is petrol running out?
‘Sorry we are out’ signs are gradually appearing in petrol stations throughout the UK as the price of gas skyrockets (Picture: w8media)
Petrol stations near Croydon have run out of unleaded fuel (Picture: w8media)
Queues for fuel at Costco in Liverpool (Picture: Liverpool Echo)
The UK’s petrol supply is not yet running out, but people are beginning to stock up against advice.
Drivers have been told ‘not to panic buy’ by the AA as oil prices have subsequently skyrocketed, with the global benchmark Brent crude increasing by 13% – the highest level recorded since July 2024.
Despite warnings people have still been pictured in long queues.
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In Greater Manchester, dozens of vehicles were seen waiting for petrol at the Trafford Centre.
And in Kirkdale, Liverpool, queues for pumps stretched beyond stations and into nearby roads.
Will the price of petrol go up?
Despite warnings people have still been pictured in long queues (Picture: Liverpool Echo)
Costco Superstore in Bushey where motorists have waited for more than an hour to get fuel(Picture: w8media)
Oil prices surged by 13% yesterday, with Brent crude briefly climbing to $82 a barrel – its highest level since January last year – before easing to $79 by early morning.
Insurers are now reportedly declining to cover ships passing through the Strait, and the US said it cannot guarantee safety predicting the disruption could last for days.
Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project, said: ‘Closure of the Strait of Hormuz would disrupt roughly a fifth of globally traded oil overnight – and prices wouldn’t just spike, they would gap violently upward on fear alone.
‘The shock would reverberate far beyond energy markets, tightening financial conditions, fuelling inflation and pushing fragile economies closer to recession in a matter of weeks.’
But experts are not too concerned this will have a huge impact on UK costs.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams added: ‘While the conflict in the Middle East undoubtedly has the potential to push up pump prices in the UK, it’s not a certainty. The oil price would have to rise significantly and stay that way for some time to have a dramatic effect.’
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Mr Williams suggested oil prices reaching 100 dollars per barrel would take petrol prices ‘nearer to 150p per litre’, but said ‘it’s all too soon to know’.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘The Government is monitoring the situation closely. The UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies.
‘The Energy Secretary (Ed Miliband) spoke to the executive director of the International Energy Agency (Dr Fatih Birol) over the weekend.’
The spokesman added: ‘There are currently no reported impacts to UK fuel supply. DESNZ (the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) will continue to monitor UK fuel stocks and sales.’
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