Diesel hits record £6 a gallon in new blow for motorists

Motorists were dealt a new blow today when average diesel prices hit £6 a gallon for the first time.

The AA said prices reached an average 132.03p per litre yesterday - or £6 a gallon.

That means the price of diesel is now 35% dearer than a year ago.

Diesel passed the £5 a gallon mark just four months ago, but steadily rising oil costs have pushed prices further still since then.

Average unleaded petrol prices also hit a record of 118.65p per litre yesterday - or £5.39 a gallon, the AA said.

Filling up a tank with 50 litres now costs an extra £10.86 for petrol compared to a year ago, the figures show, and £17.38 for diesel.

AA president Edmund King said: "The £6 gallon would have been an unrealistic nightmare to motorists only one year ago yet today it is a reality.

"Two-thirds of motorists have already cut back on their journeys and many are slowing down to conserve fuel.

"However, many car-dependent motorists such as the disabled, shift workers and rural dwellers have to cut back on household expenditure as the car is a necessity."

He added: "The Chancellor does need to look again at levels of duty on fuel as it is taxed as a luxury item at rates higher than champagne rather than as a necessity."

Oil prices were hovering around the 137 US dollars a barrel mark today, marginally lower than last week's all-time high of 139.89 dollars.

The commodity has risen in price by more than 40% this year alone thanks mainly to concerns over global supplies, as well as buying from traders keen to protect themselves from a falling dollar.

Soaring diesel prices in the UK have seen a series of protests from hauliers in recent weeks. And they were brought into stark focus after the death of a farmer's wife in Cumbria earlier this week as her family tackled suspected fuel thieves.