Panicking motorists hand huge sums to fuel retailers as Middle East crisis sparks stockpiling of petrol and diesel

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 08:07, 24 April 2026 | Updated: 08:09, 24 April 2026 Panicking motorists handed huge sums to fuel retailers last month as the Middle East crisis sparked stockpiling.  Brits filling their tanks more often was largely responsible for a 0.7 per cent surge in retail sales in March. Excluding products such as petrol and diesel, retail volumes were only up 0.2 per cent - a marginal bounceback from a 0.6 per cent fall in February. The amount of fuel bought was up 6.1 per cent month-on-month to the highest level since April 2021. Spending on fuel was up 11.6 per cent amid the jump in prices. Brits filling their tanks more often was largely responsible for a 0.7 per cent surge in retail sales in March Excluding products such as petrol and diesel, retail volumes were only up 0.2 per cent - a marginal bounceback from a 0.6 per cent fall in February ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: 'Retail sales rose in the three months to March, with commercial art galleries doing well earlier in the quarter and sales in beauty products stores rising as retailers reported launching new collections. Online shops also saw strong sales across the period. 'Motor fuel sales were up on the quarter, with retailers commenting that many motorists had been filling up their tanks in March following the start of conflict in the Middle East.' Oil prices were up over $100 a barrel again overnight as markets lose confidence of a quick end to the Iran standoff.  Economists also warned that the modest boost in other retail sales could be shortlived.   The amount of fuel bought was up 6.1 per cent month-on-month to the highest level since April 2021 Phil Monkhouse of global financial services firm Ebury said: 'Excluding fuel sales, March's retail sales figures show a modest lift in activity, with the Easter holidays and better weather giving spending a short-term boost – however, it looks like this mild rebound may be short lived. 'Inflation is ticking up again and with some economists now pricing in Bank of England rate hikes, consumers are tightening their belts.  'Higher borrowing costs and rising bills are eating into disposable income, while UK consumer confidence has been knocked by the Middle East, clouding the outlook for consumer spending and future sales growth.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.