The cost of diesel has soared to being nearly 25p per litre more than regular petrol, latest Government figures show.

At the moment the average price of a litre of diesel is 188.9p whilst regular petrol stands at 164.4p per litre.

The PA News Agency has found that this is the largest gap in the records dating back to June 2003.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, warned that diesel could become even more expensive in the short-term.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: The gap between diesel and petrol prices is the widest since June 2003The gap between diesel and petrol prices is the widest since June 2003

He said: “The situation for diesel drivers is grim and unlikely to improve in the weeks ahead. In fact, it could deteriorate.

“Already, drivers of average-sized diesel cars are paying around £105 every time they fill up, about £14 more than those people with similar-sized petrol cars at the neighbouring pump.”

In the UK around 4.5 million vans and half a million HGVs run on diesel, so this gap in the costs will start to affect them.

Mr Gooding added that the situation “could get worse” once the European Union’s ban on importing Russian oil products comes into force on February 5 next year as stock will need to be purchased from further afield.

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The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said on Thursday (November 17) that a “planned 23% increase” in fuel duty in March 2023 will add around 12p per litre to pump prices.

The figure is based on a combination of the scheduled end of the 5p cut in duty, and the long-standing policy of duty rising in line with the RPI rate of inflation.

But chancellors have repeatedly frozen duty, and the Treasury insisted a final decision on the rate would not be taken until the next budget in the spring.