RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “While pump prices have technically risen for a record 43 straight days, the increases have almost ground to a halt.
“The average price of petrol now stands at 158.27p, only having gone up a quarter of a penny since reaching 158.03p on Thursday. Similarly, diesel is now at an average of 191.5p, having first climbed to 191.11p on Thursday too.
“With dated Brent crude under $100 a barrel for the last three trading days, there’s now scope to see prices finally starting to go the other way.
“But, as always, it’s a highly volatile situation with much depending on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz. And, if the oil price was to go back up again this week, any hopes of slight forecourt reductions will inevitably disappear.”
Petrol and diesel increase by record monthly amounts
Diesel goes up by 40p in a month – 18p more than the previous record set four years ago
20p monthly hike in the average price of petrol surpasses June 2022 record of 16.6p
Full tanks of petrol and diesel go up by £11 and £22 in March
The average prices of petrol and diesel both increased by record monthly amounts in March on the back of the conflict in Iran, analysis of RAC Fuel Watch data reveals.*
A litre of unleaded rose by 20p from 132.83p on 1 March to 152.83p by the end, surpassing the previous all-time biggest monthly jump of 16.6p seen at the end of June 2022 when petrol went up from 174.84p to 191.43p.
The increase in the average price of diesel was even more dramatic, going up 40p in March to 182.77p from 142.38p – almost doubling the previous record rise of 22p seen in March 2022 where the price went from 155.23p to 177.29p at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite the record rises seen in March, average fuel prices are still some way off the all-time highs of summer 2022 when petrol peaked at an average of 191.5p (3 July) and diesel at 199p a litre (25 June).
The sudden hikes have added £11 to the cost of filling a 55-litre family car, which now stands at nearly £84 (£84.06), and £22 for the diesel equivalent, with a tank topping £100 (£100.52)
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “March has been truly unprecedented – fuel prices have never risen this fast in a single month. But while this is the biggest pence-per-litre increase ever in a month, it’s not as great in real terms as those seen during the 1973 oil crisis when the price of a barrel quadrupled.
“The increases drivers have had to endure in March 2026 far exceed those seen in the early days of the war in Ukraine.
“While the monthly rise in a litre of petrol is bad enough, the jump in the cost of diesel is even harder to swallow at 40p a litre – 18p more than the previous monthly record. With long-term RAC research showing eight-in-10 people are dependent on their vehicles, these costs must really be taking their toll on both households as well as businesses.
“Ahead of the Easter getaway, which is expected to be the busiest on the roads since 2022 with nearly 21m leisure journeys planned, we urge drivers to fill up as usual and to use the myRAC app to find the cheapest forecourts near them.”
A Fire Service search and rescue dog that has responded more than 300 times to protect communities in Scotland and abroad has now officially retired.
Springer Spaniel Diesel has hung up his protective boots and doggles after helping locate casualties over the past eight years – or approximately 55 ‘dog years’.
The clever canine joined the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue team in 2012 and then the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in 2015.
And he was trained to use his powerful nose to move quickly through collapsed buildings or across wide areas of land to detect the live scent of an injured or trapped survivor.
Based in Portlethen, Aberdeenshire, Diesel has been working side-by-side with handler Gary Carroll who is a Crew Commander with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
The pair were notably deployed to Nepal in 2015 as part of the UK’s International Search and Rescue team after an earthquake hit the region and thousands sadly lost their lives.
11-year-old Diesel was the first search dog employed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and will officially hand over the lead to his protégé Mac.
Looking back at their time together, Crew Commander Carroll said: “Myself and Diesel have had a great working relationship over the years.
“I’ve had him since the day he was born and have been able to watch him grow into an incredible search dog.
“When we’ve attended incidents he’s always checking that I am ok, in the same way that I have done with him.”
He added: “He’s been a real asset and been able to help firefighters and other agencies at incidents by searching large areas in a short time frame.
“By doing this he’s able to help ascertain whether someone is within the search area – and, if not, then we can quickly move the focus onto another search area.”
Mac is a four-year-old English Springer Spaniel and has been an operational search dog with the national service since October 2019, also based in Portlethen, Aberdeenshire.
Martin Blunden is the Chief Officer for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
He said: “Firstly, I want to thank Diesel for his service – he’s been an important part of our response across Scotland for a number of years now.
“Even though he sees searching as a game, he’s dedicated a large part of his life to helping people when they are in need and that should be commended.
“I’d also like to thank Gary and his family for the hard work and time they have put in to training both Diesel and Mac.”
Crew Commander Carroll works as an Urban Search and Rescue instructor at the training centre in Portlethen.
Chief Officer Blunden continued: “It’s an incredible level of commitment shown by both handler and dog to be there for people across Scotland when needed.
“Whether it is the middle of the night or just as dinner is being served, a call can come in and Gary will drop anything to provide a potentially life-saving resource.”
To find out more about search dog Mac follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @sfrsdog.
A young English Springer Spaniel has joined the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as its new search and rescue asset.
Three-year-old ‘Mac’ recently passed his grading in Merseyside and was unveiled today as an operational search dog for the Fire Service in Scotland. Continue reading Sam springs to the rescue!
