Britain’s diesel crisis is expected to deepen after the UK’s biggest refinery shut down production for up to 10 weeks.

Fawley refinery, in Hampshire, will be closed until November for planned maintenance, adding to fears about a squeeze on fuel supplies across the country.

The site, opened in 1951 and now operated by ExxonMobil, produces almost one fifth of the fuel used on UK roads and also supplies jet fuel to Heathrow.

Such shutdowns are seldom widely publicised because swings in refinery output are market-sensitive.

But recruitment adverts put out by ExxonMobil have announced the “shutdown” and confirmed the dates.

ExxonMobil confirmed the plans to temporarily shut down production but refused to give details of the impact on refining output.

The shuttering of Britain’s largest refinery will add to fears about another diesel price spike hurting drivers at the pumps.

Average diesel prices jumped above £2 a litre for the first time on Wednesday, as the fallout from Iran war heightens pain for motorists.

Pump prices broke through the psychologically significant barrier at 8am after hitting record highs earlier in the week, according to the RAC Foundation.

A possible ban on US exports of diesel, a move said to be under consideration from Donald Trump, has also added to concerns about spiralling prices.

Read More: Diesel crisis deepens as UK’s biggest refinery shuts for 10 weeks