Average petrol prices stand at 148.60 a litre while diesel has reached 152.05p a litre.

This time last year, they averaged 121.84p and 124.91p a litre, meaning drivers are paying an additional 26p and 27p a litre more than in February 2021.

And for those filling up a typical 55-litre petrol tank, this has added £14.72 to the cost. For an 80-litre diesel van, this means drivers now fork out an extra £21.71 to fill up.

All-in-all, drivers are now paying an extra £375m a month at the pumps.

But with regional and retailer variations in price, the data from The AA revealed that drivers filling up at BP pay an average of 150.94p a litre for petrol, while Sainsbury’s is the cheapest with an average price of 144.62p a litre.

For diesel, again BP is the most expensive with average pump prices of 153.98p a litre while Asda is at the lower end with an average cost of 148.08p a litre.

Depending on where you live, pump prices vary by 4.4p a litre for petrol and 4.9p a litre for diesel.

As an example, those in Northern Ireland see average petrol prices at 144.8p a litre while diesel is at 147.9p a litre.

Meanwhile drivers in London pay a premium – at 148.1p a litre and 152.10p a litre respectively.

This is a far cry from the prices motorists paid in mid-February 2016 where they hovered around the £1 mark (101.95p and 100.98p a litre for petrol and diesel respectively).

Pump price lottery

“Motorists have had to take shelter from storms this week but they will be buffeted by record pump prices long after. The difference is that there is little protection from pump prices that are at least 25p a litre more expensive than a year ago,” says Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesman.

He added: “The effect of the Ukraine crisis on oil prices is the major cause of current woes but that shouldn’t hide the impact of the UK’s pump price lottery, with supermarket prices varying by more than 8p a litre across mainland UK.

“With the return to the office and more travel between towns, many drivers can break free from localised over-priced fuel and fill up much more cheaply along their daily travel routes.”