'Big shock' for drivers as they are hit by 'galling' price rise

New figures show motorists across the country were hit by one of the biggest fuel price rises in decades throughout August.

According to the RAC, the average cost of petrol in April rose by 7p per litre - the fifth largest monthly increase in 23 years. Meanwhile, diesel prices soared by 8p per litre - the sixth largest over the same period.

The RAC pointed at the increasing cost of oil as one of the key reasons for soaring pump prices. The price of oil had risen by nearly 12 US dollars a barrel since the start of July to nearly 87 US dollars due to producing group Opec+ reducing supply.

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RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “August was a big shock to drivers as they had grown used to seeing far lower prices than last summer’s record highs. Seeing £4 or more go on to the cost of a tank in the space of just a few weeks from a pump price rise of 6-7p a litre is galling, particularly for those who drive lots of miles or run an older, less fuel-efficient car.

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“While the increase is clearly bad news for drivers, it could have been far worse had the biggest retailers not let their inflated margins from earlier in the year return to more normal levels as wholesale fuel costs went up. All we can hope is that this move by many big retailers back to fairer forecourt pricing remains when wholesale costs go down again. Only time will tell.”