UK motorists set for spike in cost of unleaded petrol due to Hurricane Harvey

Fuel: The cost of unleaded petrol is set to rise higher than that of diesel
PA
Chloe Chaplain2 September 2017

UK motorists are being warned to expect a hike in the cost of unleaded petrol due to Hurricane Harvey.

The RAC predicted that forecourt prices could rise by up to 4p per litre in the coming days because of the shutdown of large refineries on the Gulf Coast of the US.

This would take the average price above £1.21 per litre, making unleaded more expensive than diesel for the first time in over a year.

RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: "This will be the first time unleaded has been higher than diesel since June 2016.

"We expect this to be the case for some time to come, or at least until the US oil industry is able to get refineries back into operation and production in the Gulf Coast returns to normal to meet the United States' immense appetite for gasoline."

Two major fuel pipelines in the US have been restricted or stopped because of flooding, and drivers in Dallas had to queue to fill up their vehicles as some petrol stations ran dry.

At least 39 people were killed in the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey.

In Texas more than 37,000 homes were heavily damaged and nearly 7,000 were destroyed amid major flooding.

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