The Prime Minister is said to be considering calling in soldiers to deliver fuel to petrol stations as pumps run dry after days of panic buying.
Emergency measures were triggered on Sunday evening, with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng choosing to suspend competition laws for the fuel industry to allow suppliers to target filling stations running low.
Multiple reports suggest that Boris Johnson on Monday will mull whether to follow that by taking the drastic step of sending in the army to drive oil tankers as "frenzied buying" added to fuel supply issues caused by a lack of HGV drivers.
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Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has refused to rule out requesting military assistance after queues for the pumps continued across the country on the weekend.
Mr Shapps has already backed down over his reluctance to import foreign labour to solve the HGV driver shortage by creating 5,000 three-month visas to bring in extra hauliers to address delivery pressures.
The Cabinet minister told the BBC the move would fix the "100 to 200" fuel tanker driver shortfall, as he urged motorists to be "sensible" and only fill up when needed to help alleviate the queues.
Long waits at filling stations saw police called to a scuffle at a north London forecourt as motorists continued their panic buying which was sparked after concerns from BP were leaked to the media that the lorry driver shortage could impact its ability to keep up with fuel deliveries.
The surge in demand led the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) to warn that as many as two-thirds of its membership of nearly 5,500 independent outlets were out of fuel on Sunday, with the rest of them "partly dry and running out soon".
Does petrol expire?
The concern over petrol shortages has led to some people and companies choosing to store petrol.
However, the RAC warns the average driver not to keep fuel at home, as it is a flammable liquid.
For those who do store fuel, in a legal and safe way, petrol has a shelf-life of six months if stored in a sealed container at 20 degrees.
It will only last three months if kept at 30 degrees.
Refill priority to motorway service stations
Worry over depleted stocks led the Business Secretary to act following a meeting with oil companies and retailers on Sunday.
Mr Kwarteng opted to temporarily exempt the industry from the Competition Act to allow the industry to share information so it can target areas where fuel supply is running low.
PRA chairman Brian Madderson - who described the purchasing rate as "frenzied" - told the BBC the forecourt closures and depleted pumps were down to "panic buying, pure and simple".
He said oil companies were giving refill priority to motorway service stations, with one such stop-off point reporting a 500% spike in demand compared to last week as road users flock to fill up their tanks.
As part of Government efforts to relieve wider supply chain pressures, 5,500 foreign worker visas will also be made available to the poultry sector as it strives to ensure a healthy array of turkeys are available for Christmas dinners.
