petrol stations have already put up the price of unleaded petrol by up to 10p a litre after cheaper stocks of fuel ran out.

The AA said it expects a litre of unleaded petrol to rise by a further penny this week, with the average price predicted at about 142.5p. The timing could not be worse for families planning long motoring journeys this Easter.

The price rise has been caused by petrol stations being forced to buy in more expensive fuel on the wholesale market and by additional charges for extra deliveries. About one in five garages ran out of fuel last week.

In some cases petrol stations have attempted to profiteer from shortages with one garage in the Midlands, according to the AA, hiking up the price of a litre of unleaded to 154.9p.

“Panic buying has speeded up the rise in the cost of petrol,” said Luke Bosdet, an AA spokesman. “Petrol stations are having to buy more expensive petrol more quickly.