Britain’s diesel pumps could “run dry” because of a growing dependence on foreign fuel, according to the RAC Foundation.

The motoring research group said diesel demand had been rising for decades, but UK refineries were struggling to cope.

There were 11 million diesel cars on the road last year, compared with just 1.6 million in 1994.

The RACF said that, at this rate, diesel would be four times more popular than petrol by 2030.

Yet we consume twice as much diesel as we produce, and that growing reliance on countries including Russia and India to supply the fuel could leave motorists “at the mercy of the global market” in future, the foundation said.

“Even if we are not in conflict with those countries that control the taps, they might simply decide they need more of what they produce for their own markets,” RACF director Steve Gooding told the BBC.

“If supply is interrupted, then at best we’ll see sharp rises in forecourt prices and, at worst, there is the unlikely but real possibility of pumps running dry.”

Read more: BBC