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Gas stations in Atlanta are closing their pumps due to a fuel shortage brought on by the Colonial Pipeline hack.

The 5,500 mile pipeline was shut down on Friday evening by the company when the ransomware attack was launched. Service was gradually being restored on Monday.

The pipeline supplies 45 per cent of all the East Coast's fuel needs, including Atlanta airport - the world's busiest, by passenger traffic.

On Monday evening motorists were beginning to report shortages at gas stations.

A spokesman for Race Trac, which operates gas stations in the area, confirmed the shortage to WSBTV-2.  

AAA predicts that gasoline prices in the Georgia region could rise three to seven cents per gallon this week, and said that there also could be 'limited fuel availability' in places.

Gas stations in Atlanta were suffering from shortages on Monday as a result of the hack

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'This shutdown will have implications on both gasoline supply and price, but the impact will vary regionally,' said Montrae Waiters, spokeswoman for AAA-The Auto Club Group. 

'Areas including Mississippi, Tennessee and the East Coast from Georgia into Delaware are most likely to experience limited fuel availability and prices increases as early as this week.'

On Twitter, motorists in Atlanta were reporting having to go to three different gas stations to fill up.

'Gas stations around Atlanta are running out of gas and the ones that have it are hiking up the prices,' said one man.

Another said: 'Y'all better go and fill up on gas Atlanta. I finally got gas after trying at 3 gas stations.'

A third man said: 'I went to three gas stations and they were out of gas.

'Hope to make it to one with gas before my car stop.' 

The pipeline, the largest in United States, is responsible for transporting more than 100 million gallons of fuel - 2.5 million barrels - daily through pipelines laid out between Texas and New Jersey.  

© Provided by Daily MailThe Colonial Pipeline runs from Texas to New Jersey and carries 100 million gallons of fuel daily

The hack is thought to have been carried out by DarkSide, a Russian-based hacking group.

On Monday the group posted an apology on the dark web, Vice reported, and said they did not want 'social consequences', nor did they seek political influence.

'We are apolitical, we do not participate in geopolitics, do not need to tie us with a defined government and look for other our motives,' they wrote. 

'Our goal is to make money and not creating problems for society. 

'From today, we introduce moderation and check each company that our partners want to encrypt to avoid social consequences in the future.'