'I used to get 170 miles for a tenner. Now it's 115' - more pain at the pumps

Adrian Murphy tops up his car at Whitehouse Services in Gayton, as average fuel prices soar to record levels (Image: Chris Bishop)

Adrian Murphy knew how the latest hike in fuel prices would affect him down to pretty much the exact mile, as he topped up his Toyota Corolla at Whitehouse Service Station at Gayton, near King's Lynn.

"I used to get 170 miles for a tenner," said Mr Murphy, from Castle Acre. "Now I'm lucky if I get 115.

"I think it's a major scam. The fuel people are still making major, major profits. They can't blame Ukraine or Russia for this, the British people are being stuffed again."

Medical courier Mick Suckling from nearby Grimston was philosophical as he put £67 worth of fuel into his Honda CRV.

Mick Suckling tops up his Honda (Image: Chris Bishop)

"It's too high but I'm not sure whether there's anything they can do," he said. "I'm guessing this is all down to oil prices, somebody needs to do something."

Motoring organisations have called for tax cuts, with VAT and fuel duty currently accounting for around 30p and 53p per litre respectively.

"It's all very well cutting this, cutting that," said Mr Suckling. "The bottom line is all these savings, the money's got to come from somewhere."

As customers pulled onto the forecourt, chancellor Rishi Sunak was announcing a £15bn package of support for the poorest families to ease the impact of the cost of living crisis funded by a windfall tax on energy firms' profits. A hoped-for cut in fuel duty was not included.

"I have to drive for work but I'm short of money," said a woman who works as a cleaner for elderly people as she put £6 in her Fiesta.

"I'm considering putting my charges up, which isn't nice for my clients."

Another man who did not wish to be named, who put £139 worth of diesel into his 4x4, shrugged: "There's nothing we can do about it, is there?"

Fuel was a fraction over the national average at £170.9 for unleaded and £1.84.9 for diesel at Gayton

Jess Anota, who has run Whitehouse Services at Gayton for 23 years (Image: Chris Bishop)

Jess Anota, who owns the business, said: "We've been here 23 years and people are very happy that we have the fuel here.

"We do try to keep prices as low as we can. They should cut taxes, that's what's killing the country."

Customers would spend more than they would save making the 15-mile round trip from Gayton to one of the large supermarkets in King's Lynn for the sake of saving a couple of pence a litre.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said the price of petrol had reached "another unfortunate landmark".

"While wholesale prices may have peaked for the time being last week, they are still worryingly high, which means there's no respite from the record-high pump prices which are so relentlessly contributing to the cost-of-living crisis," he said.

"VAT at 20pc on fuel is currently benefitting the Treasury to the tune of around 30p a litre, which seems very unfair when you consider it's a tax on a tax as fuel duty - despite being cut to 53p a litre at the end of March - is charged at the wholesale level."

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said petrol has passed "yet another milestone of misery along the road of record pump prices".

He added that there is "still quite some variation in pump prices among fuel stations in most areas", and it is "particularly galling" when supermarkets of the same brand charge "significantly more" at one superstore compared with another in the same region.