Wholesaler urges people to stop stockpiling petrol after selling out of jerry cans in record time

Karl Baxter, CEO of Wholesale Clearance UK said he had experienced a record number of jerry can sales in recent days.

Mr Baxter said: “On Friday, I had 5,000 jerry cans being sold for £3.50 each which we sold in job lots of 12 - we’re now completely sold out.

"Bear in mind, these items had been listed for months without much interest. Most of these were sold under request as singular purchases.

Mr Baxter said: "According to the Petrol Enforcement Authority, you can store up to 30 litres of petrol at home or non-workplace premises without informing them.

"However, any more than this, it is a legal requirement to notify your local PEA in writing, giving your name and address of storage location.

"It’s hard to believe the pace at which people are buying. The issue now is, will there be any petrol left to deliver the items to the customers? Plus, the morality question of whether the purchases are driving the shortage further?

"Even if we wanted to, we would not be able to source further supply of jerry cans for at least three months. It is likely that this could be creating a jerry can shortage, too.

"After selling out, we currently have no further plans to source and supply jerry cans until the situation regarding petrol has returned to normal to discourage panic buying."

Ministers have issued a fresh appeal to motorists to stop “panic buying” as Boris Johnson drew back from plans to deploy troops to ensure fuel supplies reach forecourts.

Downing Street said the Government was monitoring the situation on a daily basis but there were currently no plans to use the military to drive fuel tankers.

Ministers are hoping the pressure will ease as motorists move back to their routine buying patterns, following the surge in demand last week which led to filling stations across the country running dry.