April a bleak month for motorists

April saw the second highest monthly petrol price rise since 2000, new figures show.

The price of a litre of petrol shot up by more than 5p to £1.28, according to RAC research.

This made filling up a typical 55-litre family car around £3 more expensive. The data suggests retailers have passed on wholesale price rises driven by a 5 per cent jump in the cost of a barrel of oil. Diesel prices also rose – up 3p a litre to £1.34.

RAC’S Simon Williams said: “Despite the good weather, April turned out to be one of the bleakest months ever for drivers with the second biggest monthly rise in the price of petrol for nearly 20 years.

“RAC Fuel Watch data shows the price of unleaded rose every single day from the end of March for three-and-a-half weeks.”