Fans of The Simpsons have been sharing a scene from a 2010 episode of the show, joking that it predicted the UK’s fuel shortage.
The theory harks back to the episode titled “Lisa Simpson, This Isn’t Your Life”, which sees Homer buying 1,000 gallons of gasoline in a bid to win a promotional toy for Maggie.
In the scene that’s gone viral, Homer is filling his car boot up with an ocean of petrol.
This is not the first time Simpsons fans have claimed the show predicted the future, with Trump’s election victory and the Capitol Riots among events that have resembled those in past episodes of the sitcom.
Following reports of a shortage of HGV drivers, customers across the country have been panic-buying petrol, with filling stations emptied within hours.
The UK is estimated to be short of more than 100,000 lorry drivers, causing problems for a range of industries, including food suppliers and supermarkets.
Tobias Ellwood, the chair of parliament’s defence select committee, has said the army should be mobilised to “regain public confidence” and halt panic-buying.
There are also growing calls for health and social care staff to receive priority access to available fuel after some reported struggling to get to work due to supply issues.
