Diamondback Energy stock rose 5% and Occidental Petroleum rose nearly 5% as a swathe of energy-related stocks reacted to a jump in crude prices after Israel's attack on Iran. Conoco-Phillips' stock rose 4%, ExxonMobil rose 3% and Chevron gained 2.7%.

Market watchers believe a full-scale disruption of global oil flows by closing the waterway is unlikely, and might even be physically impossible.

Police have urged people not to drive through a large oil slick after a motorist suffered serious injuries in a crash near Boston in Lincolnshire. Officers were called to a collision between a car and a HGV on the A1121 Boardsides, close to the junction with the A17, at about 21:50 BST on Thursday.

A surge in oil prices after Israel’s strikes on Iran sent the Indian rupee tumbling on Friday, prompting the central bank to step in and limit further losses, traders said.