A woman fills a vehicle with fuel at a Sainsbury's petrol station in London, Britain, on Feb. 15, 2022. The prices of petrol and diesel in Britain have both posted new record highs over the weekend, pushing the cost of living crisis even further for British families, showed the latest data released on Monday. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
LONDON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The prices of petrol and diesel in Britain have both posted new record highs over the weekend, pushing the cost of living crisis even further for British families, showed the latest data released on Monday.
Petrol price hit an average of 148.02 pence (about two U.S. dollars) per liter, while diesel costs an average of 151.57 pence per liter, both exceeding the previous records set in November 2021, according to motoring organization, the RAC.
"Petrol has unfortunately hit a frightening new high of 148.02 pence, which takes filling a 55-liter family car to an eye-watering 81.41 pounds," said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.
Williams attributed the rising prices to the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and the "oil production remaining out of kilter with demand as the world emerges from the pandemic."
"The cost of living crisis has been ratcheted up yet another notch, tightening the vice on family spending when it faces other pressures from impending domestic energy cost and tax increases," Luke Bosdet, fuel price spokesman from another motoring body, the AA, told the Sky News.
Britain's inflation soared to a 30-year high of 5.4 percent in December 2021 and is expected to increase further to close to six percent in February and March, before peaking at around 7.25 percent in April, said the Bank of England, Britain's central bank, earlier this month.
The RAC warned on Monday that fuel prices are likely to continue growing.
"With the oil price teetering on the brink of 100 dollars a barrel and retailers keen to pass on the increase in wholesale fuel quickly, new records could now be set on a daily basis in the coming weeks," Williams noted. ■
People fill vehicles with fuel at a Sainsbury's petrol station in London, Britain, on Feb. 15, 2022. The prices of petrol and diesel in Britain have both posted new record highs over the weekend, pushing the cost of living crisis even further for British families, showed the latest data released on Monday. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
Photo taken on Feb. 15, 2022 shows fuel pumps at a Sainsbury's petrol station in London, Britain. The prices of petrol and diesel in Britain have both posted new record highs over the weekend, pushing the cost of living crisis even further for British families, showed the latest data released on Monday. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)
Photo taken on Feb. 15, 2022 shows screens displaying fuel prices at a Shell petrol station in London, Britain. The prices of petrol and diesel in Britain have both posted new record highs over the weekend, pushing the cost of living crisis even further for British families, showed the latest data released on Monday. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)