AFTER a steady decline in price, the cost of petrol is today starting to slowly creep up again.

AFTER a steady decline in price, the cost of petrol is today starting to slowly creep up again.

Typical supermarket prices across the area are 84.9p per litre for unleaded, while diesel is 96.9p per litre at many outlets.

But there are still big fluctuations in prices - with Co-op garages still five pence per litre more for unleaded.

The AA said the average price per litre was now 86.65p compared with when it bottomed out at 85.89p last week, 33p down from its record high of 119.7p in mid July last year.

The cost of a typical 50-litre refill is now �16.91 less.

However, conflict in Gaza and the gas dispute between Russia and the Ukraine helped to push the price of oil back above $50 a barrel before it fell back. The US government announced today that petrol prices there have continued to rise slowly.

Paul Watters, head of AA public affairs said: “The supermarkets' fight for customers in a climate of shrinking sales produced a price war almost intense as that leading up to mid December.

“However, conflict and disputes abroad, despite the recession pushing down hard on fuel demand, remind us just how volatile fuel prices can be.

“Once these disputes are settled, the recessionary scaling back of demand for oil and fuel across the world is likely again to become the dominant influence on prices at the pump.”