Petrol price on track to hit record high

Average petrol prices were expected to hit a record high today, with motorists across Shropshire seeing a sharp hike.

The AA predicted prices looked set to top the UK record of 121.61p a litre.

It comes after many pumps across the country raised the cost to motorists to 121.56p yesterday.

This represents an 11 per cent rise on just 12 months ago, and comes as another squeeze on millions of hard-up Brits.

In Telford today, petrol from some forecourts was as much as 128.9p. The average price was 120.9p.

And in Shrewsbury the average price for a litre of petrol was 121p, according to www.petrolprices.com

But some garages were selling petrol for as much as 126.9p in the town.

In parts of south Shropshire prices were even higher. The average price for a litre in Ludlow was 121.4p and rising, with some garages selling at 124.5p.

In Oswestry the average price of petrol has already topped the UK high, with the average price hitting 124.9p according to the price-checking website. And in Market Drayton the average price stood at 120.2p, rising to a maximum of 120.9p.

And the AA warned that fuel prices would only rise further as the government prepared to raise VAT and fuel duty in the New Year.

AA president Edmund King said today: "There is a growing feeling of helplessness among drivers with winter travel disruption and ever-rising fuel costs.

"In the past week we have seen the average price of petrol shoot up 1.7p a litre across the UK."

Rocketing fuel costs come at the same time as rising utility bills and food prices. British Gas's gas and electricity prices were raised yesterday in the midst of the UK's coldest snap in years.