Whitehall sources have said emergency measures taken by hauliers, such as cutting annual leave, working longer hours and staff volunteering, has meant they have now run out of petrol tankers to deliver fuel to station forecourts.

The situation has meant the Government has leased out its fleet of 80 petrol tankers that it keeps on standby at two depots in West Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire to haulage firms to supply fuel across the country.

Officials hope the additional capacity could mean the Government does not have to rely on the Army to help deliver fuel, although the military remains on stand-by and could be deployed later this week. 

It comes as confidence is growing inside Whitehall that the fuel supply crisis is starting to level out, despite lengthy queues still forming outside petrol stations.