Petrol could go up by 5p a litre after pound’s fall

‘Third party’ clue to RAF man mystery

MOTORISTS face an inflationbusting 5p rise in the cost of petrol and diesel this month, industry experts warned last night.

As the pound sinks and oil prices soar, a tank of fuel will soon cost £2.75 more, according to the Petrol Retailers Association.

Its chairman Brian Madderson said: ‘ Motorists can expect increases of up to 4p or 5p per litre by the end of the month unless there are favourable corrections to the exchange rate and to global oil prices. This will also increase UK inflation rates.’

The cost of filling up has already risen by nearly £6.50 in seven months, with unleaded jumping from £1 a litre to £1.13 or more.

Prices were first pushed up by the rising cost of oil, which yesterday hit a one-year high of more than $53 a barrel.

Now, because oil is traded in dollars, the fall in the pound is pushing up forecourt prices even further in what the RAC says is as a ‘double whammy’ for drivers.

Fuel spokesman Simon Williams added: ‘With the pound now worth so much less, there can be no other outcome than an unwelcome increase at the pumps.’

Campaigners are now calling for a cut in fuel duty to ease pressure on families and businesses. Mr Madderson has written to Chancellor Philip Hammond asking for a reduction from 57.95p a litre to 55p in his Autumn Statement next month.

The pound fell below $1.24 yesterday having been trading at around $1.50 before the EU referendum. HSBC has predicted it could sink as low as $1.10 by the end of next year. A ‘THIRD party’ must have been involved in the disappearance of an RAF serviceman, his mother insisted yesterday.

Senior Aircraftman Corrie McKeague, 23, was last seen at 3.30am on September 24 after a night out in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

His disappearance sparked concerns of a terrorist kidnap plot as the town is 30 miles from RAF Marham, where another serviceman fought off two men of Middle Eastern appearance in July.

Mr McKeague’s mother Nicola Urquhart, 47, said: ‘Police are confident Corrie is not still in Bury and has not left on foot. This can only mean there is third party involvement.’

The police family liaison officer believes her son is alive but expressed doubt he was being held by terrorists. Police have also played down the theory. Suffolk Police are keeping an ‘open mind’ on what happened to Mr McKeague, of RAF Regiment’s 2 Squadron. ‘At this stage there is no evidence of criminality and nothing to indicate any third party involvement, however nothing can be ruled out at this time,’ a spokesman said.