Petrol prices rocket to record high

The cost of driving a car accelerated again as the price of filling up at the pumps hit a new high.

The average cost of a litre of petrol has risen to 137.44p, topping the previous all-time high of 137.43p a litre in May 2011, according to the AA.

The rise puts more pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to reduce the tax on drivers in his Budget later this month.