As the price of diesel hits more than £2 per litre at some of Northern Ireland’s forecourts and with petrol prices also soaring, motorists have been telling BBC News NI how it is changing their driving habits.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused disruption around critical shipping lanes like the Strait of Hormuz causing the price of wholesale fuel to continue to rise.
As prices at the pumps reach a four year high, the NI Consumer Council says consumers are being “disproportionately” affected as there are more diesel drivers and have a more rural population.
It said last week petrol prices were at their highest level since September 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier that year and that diesel prices are “heading that way too”.
At a forecourt in Portadown, Reuben McAteer, who is retired, said it costs about £70 to fill up his car.
“My wife is also on her pension, and we have to cut down on this, that and the other,” he said.
“It makes me use the car less, I only go out now every couple of days to get bits and pieces.”.