Germany has warned it will run out of gas in less than three months if Putin cuts off supplies completely.

Even if Germany can meet its target of filling its inventories to 95pc by November, that would only last for about 2.5 months, the president of the country’s energy regulator said.

Klaus Mueller, president of the Federal Network Agency, told Bloomberg: “We are a little bit faster than what we used to be in terms of filling up storage, but it is not a sign we can relax...

“I cannot promise you that all storage facilities in Germany will be 95pc full in November, even under good supply and demand conditions. In the best-case scenario, three-quarters of them will meet the target.”

Stockpiles are currently 77pc full, which is two weeks ahead of schedule. However, Germany’s energy crisis looks set to deepen, prompting warnings from Berlin of rationing this winter.

It came as German utility Uniper crashed to a €12bn (£10bn) loss as it was left reeling by Putin’s gas cuts.

The loss at the company, which was last month bailed out by the German government, ranks among the biggest in the country’s corporate history and highlights the severity of the crisis gripping Europe.