Rising fuel prices has seen some Norfolk drivers paying as much at the forecourt as they did at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thetford & Brandon Times: The price of fuel various widely depending on where you fill up in Norfolk. Picture: Antony KellyThe price of fuel various widely depending on where you fill up in Norfolk. Picture: Antony Kelly (Image: Archant Norfolk 2018)

The Covid-19 crisis was predicted to bring fuel prices down, due to a collapse in the price of oil.

Petrol prices at principally supermarket forecourts across Norfolk fell below £1 were litre in May, but welcome lockdown decreases have since stalled and the cost is edging slowly back up.

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Thetford & Brandon Times: With the price of petrol and diesel is rising at forecourts in Norfolk after tumbling to almost £1 per litre for the first time in years during the coronvavirus lockdown. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA WireWith the price of petrol and diesel is rising at forecourts in Norfolk after tumbling to almost £1 per litre for the first time in years during the coronvavirus lockdown. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire (Image: Archant)

The average cost of a litre of petrol increased from £1.11 to £1.14 while diesel was hiked from £1.15 to £1.18, according to RAC Fuel Watch data.

That added nearly £2 to the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car.

The figures hide big variations across Norfolk depending on where motorists fill up.

The lowest prices for petrol can be found in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Stalham and King’s Lynn, where it is being sold for £1.06 and £1.08 per litre*.

However customers in Diss, Attleborough, Fakenham and Holt are paying up to £1.23 per litre, back to pre-coronavirus prices – 17p higher than in Norwich and 12p higher than the national average.

The same applies with diesel as road users in Norwich, King’s Lynn and Yarmouth pay £1.12 while drivers in Fakenham paying up to 11p more per litre.

Simon Williams, the RAC’s fuel spokesman, said: “July was another bad month for drivers with a 3p-a-litre rise in the price of fuel.

“This means petrol’s 7p a litre more expensive than it was at the end of May and diesel is 6p more, something drivers will no doubt have noticed as each complete fill-up is costing almost £2 more.

“The higher prices at the pump have been driven by the cost of oil increasing steadily to around 42 US dollars a barrel from a low of 13.21 US dollars in April.”

MORE: Western Link is ‘price worth paying’ to tackle rat running, say villagersThe RAC believes retailers should be cutting forecourt prices by a few pence per litre within the next fortnight as the wholesale cost of for petrol and diesel fell last month.

Mr Williams said: “There is some scope for retailers to already be reducing their prices. If they play fair with drivers we ought to see 2p a litre come off the price of unleaded and nearer 4p come off diesel.”

*Fuel prices correct as of July 30, 2020.