Drivers who enjoyed a slump in petrol prices at the turn of the year are now facing a sharp rise in the cost of motoring, according to the AA.
Prices at the pumps have surged by an average of 5.5p over the past six weeks, with average petrol prices now standing at 111.92p a litre.
This is 3.64p a litre more than in mid-February and compares unfavourably, too, with the low of 106.39p seen on February 1.
Diesel now costs an average of 118.19p a litre – a rise of 3.13p a litre on a month ago.
The cheapest petrol at present is to be had in Northern Ireland, at 111.5p a litre on average, with Northern Ireland also having the least-pricey diesel, at 117.4p.
Scotland has the priciest petrol (112.5p a litre on average) as well as the most-costly diesel (118.9p).
AA president Edmund King said: “Although UK drivers should be grateful to the Coalition for freezing fuel duty over the past four years and not adding to the burden of crippling pump prices, events in the oil and fuel markets in recent weeks send a dismal message to drivers – nothing has changed in the past four years.
“Commodity market speculation is as impulsive and dangerous as ever, pump prices shoot up with little effort and the UK continues to have the highest fuel tax burden in the EU.”
