Fuel prices at UK forecourts have continued to climb to record highs, government figures show.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 167.7ppl on Monday May 23, up from 165.1ppl a week earlier.
The average price of diesel on Monday was 181.14ppl, up from 179.7ppl last week.
Brent crude oil currently stands at around $115 a barrel having risen to $137 early in March after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “This news means more financial frustration for drivers and businesses, not least the owners of the country’s 18 million petrol-powered cars, most of whom will be private individuals and families.
“Unfortunately, the signs are that the pain isn’t over yet. Wholesale petrol prices are still close to recent highs and currently exceed those of diesel.
“As many people are looking anxiously at the prospect of ever higher bills to heat and light their homes, so too an increasing number of families are facing transport poverty. For most drivers, in the short term, there is little option but to grit their teeth and pay up.
“Even if they could afford them, the waiting time for new cars, including electric ones, can stretch to many months, and the used market is buoyant, meaning the scope to upgrade the family run-around for something more economical may be extremely limited.”
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