
Press Association - Petrol prices have risen by more than 6p a litre since early January, says the AA
Motorists have been warned that petrol prices may soon reach their highest level ever.
The AA said sterling's slide against the dollar and market speculation could push prices to record levels by Easter.
The warning comes as tanker drivers at the Grangemouth refinery, which supplies Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, started a three-day strike in a row over pay and pensions.
The strike, involving 42 Unite members at the refinery near Falkirk, will run until Monday morning with striking workers taking turns to man the picket lines.
The drivers, employed by BP (LSE: BP.L - news) , will then observe an overtime ban when they return but the union plans further strike action if there is no resolution to the dispute.
After surging 5p a litre over the past month, the price of petrol at the pumps has gone up a further 1p in the last five days, the AA said.
It revealed that the average cost of petrol in the UK is now 138.32p per litre, with diesel having risen 4.78p from its mid-January price to stand at an average of 145.10p.
The latest figures show that petrol has risen 6.24p since early January, adding ?3.12 to the cost of filling a typical 50-litre tank.
The AA said the cost of filling up the 70-litre tank of a Ford Mondeo now costs ?4.37 more than it did six weeks ago.
A two-car family's monthly petrol cost has risen ?13.25.
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http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/fuel-prices-head-highest-level-072101357.html

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