Petrol prices across Sussex are soaring with the cost of a litre breaking the £1 barrier after Hurricane Katrina left suppliers struggling.

The demand for fuel has increased after refineries in the Gulf were battered by the storms leaving them unable to supply petrol to Europe. Prices have shot up and drivers are queueing to fill up at cheaper garages.

The most expensive place is MJ Petrol Station in Old Mill Drive, Storrington, where a litre of unleaded petrol costs 104.9p.

Owner James Williams, 40, cancelled a delivery of 4,000 litres of super unleaded petrol because he would have had to sell it at 112.9p a litre to make a profit.

He said: "I refused to take the delivery because I can't sell petrol at that price. We ran out this morning but I would rather wait for another two weeks when the prices may have gone down."

He said his petrol was more expensive because prices had shot up last Friday when he placed an order. He said: "It is just unfortunate we needed a tanker at that time. Anybody who had a delivery today will be putting their prices up in the next couple of days. I am still making the 4p profit I made when the petrol was 89.9p but the Government is making an extra 3p VAT on every litre."

He said he could not display the price on signs outside the garage because they cannot display more than three numbers.

At Sutton Corner Garage, in Eastbourne Road, Seaford, drivers pay 102.9p per litre.

The garage, which is supplied by Texaco, put up prices three times last week, twice in one day.

Manager Darren Read-Watson said the price had gone up by 10p in the last couple of weeks.

He said: "We have had one or two very disgruntled customers. A lot of them don't appreciate the reason for the fuel going up which is very frustrating for me."

The Texaco garage on the South Coast Road at Telscombe Cliffs is charging 101.9p a litre.

Average prices across the county range from 89.9p to 95.9p.

Paul Moody, manager of Seaford Filling Station in Station Road where petrol costs 96.9p a litre, said he was expecting a phone call from BP telling him to put the prices up at any moment.

Mr Moody, 39, said: "Prices have gone up four times in the last ten days which is very unusual. It has been going up by 1p, then another 1p and then 2p. We have had surprisingly little complaints especially when you consider people were blockading refiners when prices were at 93p a couple of years ago."

The cheapest filling station is Asda in Crowhurst Road, Hollingbury, Brighton, where a litre costs 89.9p. Furniture maker Toby Bishop, 26, of Broxmead Lane, Bolney, said: "I wouldn't be surprised if people start buying lots while it's still relatively cheap."