The call comes as the Unite union is threatening to pull its drivers off the road over a dispute over job security and working conditions. No date for the strike has been set, but government ministers have warned Britons it was sensible to stock up.
The advice appears to have prompted panic-buying in some places.
Britain's Petrol Retailers Association said Thursday that gasoline sales are up more than 80 percent.
There are scattered reports of long lines at gas stations and one retailer claims that sales of jerry cans had risen sixfold.
The opposition Labour Party, which is close to Unite, accuses the government of scare-mongering.
