Motorists in Shropshire are facing misery on the forecourts with the cost of a litre of petrol set to rise by around 5p in the run-up to Christmas – the highest for 15 months.

Experts are blaming the rise on speculators who they say are stockpiling oil to force up prices which is in turn hitting the pockets of consumers, with fears it will be particularly difficult for rural filling stations.

Motorists can expect to pay between 110p and 113p per litre on average – £5 a gallon – at Shropshire forecourts by the end of 2009, it has been predicted.

Today Shifnal-based Mark Bradshaw, of Garage Watch Magazine, said the analysts forecasts were spot on.

He said: “We looked at averages yesterday in Shropshire and they are tending to be around 108p per litre. It’s safe to assume that the price could rise by around 5p per litre before the end of the year.

“The reason is pretty straight forward. Now that we’re coming out of recession, speculators are starting to buy up supplies in the belief that the price will rise.

“That very action of buying and stockpiling forces the price up. It’ll be particularly bad news for rural filling stations in Shropshire, which tend to face higher wholesale prices.”

If prices do rise beyond 110p per litre, they will reach their highest level for 15 months. The price will have risen by more than 25 per cent in 12 months, meaning the average cost of filling an average family car with unleaded fuel will be £60.50, a rise of £12.15 on last year.

However, the wholesale price of oil has declined on the world market, down to less than $80 dollars per barrel from recent peaks of $100.

Today John Franklin, a spokesman for motoring group RAC, said: “The festive season is traditionally a very expensive time and this has been made worse by petrol prices rising by around 26 per cent from last year.

“With the £5 gallon mark likely to be hit before Christmas, many families are likely to think twice about visiting family and friends.”