These will be collected and delivered to Downing Street, where Gordon Brown will no longer be able to ignore them – however much he might like to.

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The Government is clearly scared of the Daily Express voicing public anger at the level of fuel duty. It is absurd, petty and cowardly of ministers to block this petition.”

**** SIGN OUR NEW FUELTAX PETITION RIGHT NOW...**** 

Last year, more than 350,000 people signed the Daily Express’s anti-inheritance tax petition on the Downing Street website.

It was one of the best supported of the thousands of petitions on the site and helped to pressurise the Government into a major U-turn, significantly raising death duty thresholds.

Now No10 once more appears to be trembling at the prospect of a similar mass movement gaining momentum.

The case for a significant cut in fuel duty became even more pressing yesterday as international oil prices again surged towards record levels.

Crude oil leapt almost 10 dollars to the 134 dollars-a-barrel mark, within sight of the 135.09 dollars high seen two weeks ago.

Petrol was last night selling at an average of 116.66p a litre, up from 116.59p the previous day. A total of 50.35p of that sum is taken up by fuel duty, with a further 17.37p going in VAT.

Diesel hit an average price of 130.09p yesterday, rising from 129.94p the day before. 

Again, 50p of that is swallowed up by fuel duty, plus more than 19p in VAT.

At the same time, experts warned that a pay dispute involving Shell tanker drivers could help to push diesel over the £6-a-gallon mark.

A strike is expected to leave more than 929 petrol stations without fuel, causing panic-buying at other garages.

Brendan McLoughlin, founder of the website PetrolPrices.com, said: “The strike couldn’t come at a worse time. The recent strike at Grangemouth oil refinery tipped unleaded over £5 a gallon, and if the Shell strike goes ahead there is no doubt that diesel will push well past £6 a gallon.”

Downing Street officials cited bureaucratic technicalities for blocking the Daily Express petition. An email from No10 said: “I’m sorry to inform you that your petition has been rejected again.”

It claimed our petition had been ruled out because others on the website already carried a similar message.

“There are many petitions already calling for reductions in fuel duty,” said the email. 

“Your petition will now appear in the list of rejected petitions.” Downing Street declined to discuss the refusal further. But Mr Brown cannot avoid our readers’ verdict.

As well as the vouchers being printed every day and eventually due for delivery to Downing Street, supporters can now back the crusade online.

Simply sign our new fuel tax petition right now  – and send a message to No10 that they can’t silence Britain’s overtaxed drivers. 

Our petition asks the Prime Minister “to ensure the 2p-a-litre fuel duty rise planned for October 1 is scrapped and that instead fuel duty is substantially cut.”

It adds: “Soaring petrol and diesel prices are adding to the financial burden on millions of families who already face big increases in other living costs such as council tax, food and utility bills.”

**** SIGN OUR NEW FUELTAX PETITION RIGHT NOW...****