PETROL station owners and motorists were caught up in a mini fuel crisis last week as pumps ran dry because of panic buying.

After Hurricane Katrina, prices for petrol soared as high as 100p a litre in dozens of garages up and down the country, prompting a fuel protest by activists the Fuel Lobby group, who threatened to blockade oil refineries last week.

Many motorists queued for hours for fuel, causing huge tailbacks and congestion in some areas, and most petrol stations ran out of fuel in record time.

Some petrol providers were not able to display prices over the £1 mark because their standard display tower only has room for three digits.

The manager of the Shell petrol station, in Marlow Road, High Wycombe, said on Tuesday: "People were queuing at the Esso station across the road because we have run out."

Mike Hill, 50, of Radnage, was outraged when one of his regular petrol stations, the Pedestal garage in West Wycombe Road, High Wycombe, did not display the price of petrol and he was forced to queue up with other motorists because his tank was nearly empty.

It was only when he got to the pump that he realised the price of unleaded petrol was £1.049 a litre and he had no choice but to fill up.

He told the Free Press: "I had no clue what the price of petrol was but the short queue should have alerted me to the price, but it was not until I got to the pump that I saw how much it was."

By law petrol stations do not have to display their prices and in most cases, some could not accommodate more than three digits on their price poles.

Lawrence Wells, owner of Pedestal garage, said: "We have not been able to display any of our prices because our pole signs simply can't cope with the high prices and we apologise if we have misled any of our customers but that is not what we have been trying to do."