Following further rises in the price of fuel, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Given how many rely on their cars, households are really feeling the effects of the conflict in the Middle East.

“The average price of unleaded has now risen more than 14p a litre to 147.19p since the end of February, adding £8 to the cost of filling up a family car which currently stands at £81. Petrol was last this high in early June 2024.”

For those driving diesel vehicles, a grim prediction has been made for the beginning of next week – meaning it may be best to fill up before Monday.

Mr Williams continued: “For drivers of diesel vehicles, the situation is far worse, with a litre up 29p to 171.17p, its highest price for more than three years (mid-January 2023). This means a tank now costs £94, £16 more than it did at the start of the conflict.

“As a barrel of oil has been trading well over $100 for the last three days and looks set to remain at that level, drivers are in for a rough ride at the pumps in the run-up to the Easter break with no end to price increases in sight.

“With the price of petrol likely to go above 150p a litre in the next week and diesel heading to 180p, it’s looking like it will be the most expensive Easter on the roads since the early days of the war in Ukraine in 2022.”

It comes as Allan Leighton, executive chairman of major UK supermarket chain Asda, said that there had been bumper demand from drivers in recent weeks – as he also took a swipe at Rachel Reeves.

He said: “Our fuel volumes are up quite significantly and clearly demand has been outstripping supply. Supply is tight and we are all trying hard on that. The issue is a temporary one, and some could see issues when we are waiting for delivery, and we can expect to see that continue.

“The spikiness at the moment makes this tricky for us, as spikes can lead to temporary shortages. These are temporary and are addressed very quickly.”