As diesel nears £2 per litre, could petrol be next?

“For UK motorists to see petrol prices move materially beyond current levels, crude prices would likely need to rise further and remain elevated for an extended period,” she added.

Nick Butler, a former BP vice-president, has a different view. He thinks petrol prices are likely to go up by “at least another 10% and probably 20-25% over the next few months”.

He said this is partly because of a shortage of supply but also because the stocks “we’ve relied on to get us through the last few months” have now fallen to such low levels that they can no longer support the kind of drawdown seen until now.

He said prices could rise further if the situation gets worse. Problems in the Strait of Hormuz and around Bab al-Mandab, the route into the Suez Canal, could disrupt two of the world’s key oil shipping routes at the same time. Damage to Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline would also make it harder to move oil another way.

Could Britain face fuel rationing?

If so, could Britain actually run short of fuel? 

Hitchman said “there’s no indication that there’s necessarily a shortage of diesel as it stands”, adding that the UK produces more unleaded petrol than it consumes.

“Drivers shouldn't be worried that there's an immediate issue in terms of fuel. There is fuel in the UK. However, the global events are affecting the price that we're having to pay.”

But Butler is less certain that a price problem won’t eventually become a supply issue and believes that rationing can't be ruled out if the situation worsens.

“We’re not yet, but I think everybody is going to face a physical challenge, because there’s going to be limited supply, particularly if the Saudi line is closed for any length of time,” he said.

Asked whether that could be weeks or months away, Butler said: “It depends on the geopolitical situation. It could be weeks away. It could be a bit longer, but the situation is taking supplies off the world market, which can’t now be replaced because the stocks have been so run down.”

He believes the government should start telling people now what would happen if the situation worsens.

“I think they have a responsibility to say how they would handle it, who they would protect, whether they would intervene on prices to households,” he said. “I think they need to set out their plans and explain the rationale and the fairness of them.”

But even if rationing never happens, the situation is still likely to prove incredibly painful for drivers.

Driffield points to data from the governmental Office for National Statistics that reveal the average spend on petrol per household per year is around £1500.

“A family with children however might be double that,” he said. “Now, if prices have gone on average up by 40p or so, starting at 130p or so, that implies an annual additional spend of about £750 a year. And how many ordinary families felt like they had a spare £750 a year ago?”

Autocar asked the government whether it would consider cutting fuel duty or taking other measures if prices rise further.

It also approached Meg Hillier, chair of the House of Commons' Treasury Select Committee, for an interview, but her office declined.

An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “As has always been the case, decisions on tax are a matter for the chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour, speculation or proposals.”

Back in Felixstowe, Wray warned that the consequences could extend well beyond the haulage sector.

“The implications to the wider economy are severe,” he said. “Costs will go up on supermarket shelves and in warehouses, because the haulage cost has to be paid for somewhere. That will be felt by us all in our spending.”

Wray’s message to the government is simple: “If they want to control inflation, they need to keep the price of fuel down.”