GERMAN drivers were left stunned today after a gas station was caught charging $14 per litre in a bid to stop customers from filling up.

The station was running low amid a nationwide shortage due to Easter traffic and a holiday ban on fuel tankers.

Police were called to the Esso gas station near Stuttgart after it raised the price in a deliberate move to deter motorists, German news website The Local reported.

Several customers filled up without noticing the hike, despite warning signs on the pump not to do so, German newspaper Bild reported. One customer told Bild he put 21 litres in his BMW and was asked to pay $294.

"I didn't pay attention to the price. Who expects something like that ... It's a swindle," Yunus G. said.

Customers slugged with the staggering bills called police, but were told they needed to pay. The gas station had done nothing wrong, police said, because the price was determined by head office.

The drivers eventually paid for their gas, but were hoping to sort out a compromise with Esso today.