‘Frightening’ petrol prices will hit 180p per litre this week, drivers warned

Drivers are being warned that “frightening” petrol prices will hit 180p per litre this week.

The RAC is calling on the government to intervene at the pumps and help lower costs for families, saying the soaring prices are “fast becoming a national crisis” and that the worst is yet to come.

It said “radical government intervention” is needed as figures from data firm Experian Catalist showed petrol prices soared by nearly 6p per litre at UK forecourts over the half-term school holiday.

The average cost of a litre of petrol reached a record 177.9p on Sunday, up from 172.1p on 27 May.

Diesel prices rose from 182.7p per litre to 185p over the same period.

The RAC warned that “worse is still to come” because of the rising costs of oil due to the war in Ukraine. “With oil now above 120 US dollars a barrel and sterling still at 1.2 US dollars, worse is still to come,” RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said.

“Sadly, we expect to see the average price of petrol break through the 180p mark this week, with diesel moving further towards 190p.

“More radical government intervention is urgently needed, whether that’s in the form of a further reduction in fuel duty or a VAT cut.

“As it is, drivers surely won’t be able to cope unless something is done to help.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak introduced a 5p-a-litre fuel duty cut at the end of March but the policy has done little to slow down the rising fuel prices.

Petrol prices rocketed by 11p in May, the second largest monthly rise on record, according to the RAC.

AA fuel price spokesperson Luke Bosdet said that “shock and awe” was the only way to describe “what has been happening at the pump during the half-term break.”

“Little wonder that nearly half of drivers stayed at home for the Jubilee extended bank holiday,” he added.

“The forces behind the surge have been oil jumping back above 120 US dollars a barrel for the first time since late March, combined with petrol commodity prices being boosted by summer motoring demand.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.