Families hit by petrol price rises

People are paying an average of 25p more for a litre of petrol than a year ago, according to the AA.

Petrol now costs, on average, 111.80p a litre, with diesel at 113.65p, in comparison to 86.63p and 98.68p respectively last January.

It means a family with two cars is now paying out around £12.50 more per week for petrol.

The AA said that in the middle of last month average petrol prices were 107.66p a litre, while diesel was 109.3p.

Since then there has been the return to a 17.5% VAT rate, plus an increase in oil prices and wholesale food costs, said the AA.

It added that supermarket Asda was currently offering the cheapest petrol - at an average of 107.83p a litre.

The cheapest petrol is to be found in Yorkshire and Humberside (110.7p a litre on average) while the dearest is in London and East Anglia (112.6p in both areas).

AA president Edmund King said: "Higher fuel prices in 2010, caused by above-inflation duty increases and oil price volatility, will continue to destabilise the economic recovery and family budgets.

"With the general election coming, drivers will be listening carefully to what the political parties propose."

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