Petrol prices are set to rise, and may increase to 120p a litre by Christmas.

Petrol prices have risen this month (August) to reach a six-week high, with prices at an average 103.88p a litre.

The price is also expected to rise by a further 5p due to rising wholesale prices and the proposed fuel duty and VAT increase of 2.3p on 1 September.

With the cost of fuel looking to increase even further, this could mean that the price of petrol reaches 120p by December this year.

John Franklin, from the RAC motoring organisation said: “Hard pressed motorists have seen a steady rise in the price of petrol since the start of the year, which sees no sign of ending.

“The Government really needs to take a close look at these planned increases because escalating petrol prices will hit hard-working families the most during tough economic times.”

Many websites have been created to help people find the cheapest petrol prices, including Petrol Prices: http://www.petrolprices.com/, and it is thought that these sites will become increasingly popular in the near future.

However, Martin Lewis, of moneysavingexpert.com, believes that simply choosing the cheapest petrol forecourt will not save considerable amounts of money. To save up to a third on fuel, he recommends various different ways of conserving petrol, including: driving more fuel-efficiently; and ensuring a car is as fuel-efficient as possible.

For further tips, visit the site at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheaper-fuel