Petrol prices rise by 5p over a week as Iran war sends oil higher

The average price of unleaded petrol has risen by 5p a litre in the space of a week, according to the RAC, which warned there was “no sign of any relief” for drivers.

The motoring organisation said a litre of unleaded now costs 167.17p – the biggest weekly increase since April – while diesel has also risen by 5p to 188.63p.

Fuel prices have soared since the US-Israel war with Iran began at the end of February, with the fighting severely disrupting supplies of crude oil – a key ingredient in petrol and diesel – across the Middle East.

The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, has returned to $100 a barrel for the first time since July, as hostilities escalated again.

On Tuesday, US forces struck five Iranian tankers after Tehran targeted one of its warships, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement also attacked oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

The price of Brent is some way off the $120 it hit in April, but remains well above the $70 it was trading at before the conflict started.