'˜Hellish month for motorists' as price of fuel rises

Unleaded shot up from 123.43p to 129.41p, taking the cost of filling up a 55-litre family car to £71.18 – an increase of £3.29 in just one month.

The average price of a litre of diesel saw a slightly greater monthly increase, up 6.12p, from 126.27p to 132.39p, which was the second worst rise since the start of 2000.

The latest rise has made the cost of a tank of diesel for a family car £3.37 more expensive at £72.81.

The RAC Fuel Watch data also shows the average prices of both petrol and diesel have gone up every single day since April 22, adding 8p a litre in the process – the longest sustained price increase since March 2015.

In May the big four supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons - raised petrol by 5.49p a litre and diesel by 5.88p.

The forecourt increases have been driven by a jump in the price of oil, coupled with a weakening of the pound against the dollar, according to the RAC.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams described May as “a hellish month for motorists”.

“For many people there is little alternative to the car for the majority of journeys they have to make, so it is therefore very difficult to avoid feeling the pinch of rising pump prices,” he said.