Drivers look for cheap petrol online

Motorists concerned over the rising cost of petrol following the strike at a British oil refinery are turning to the web to find the cheapest prices.

Web traffic monitoring service Hitwise has reported a surge in petrol price-related searches over the last few weeks, with PetrolPrices.com the top destination.

There are concerns that petrol may prove to be in short supply in some parts of the UK with oil prices hitting a record high just below $120 a barrel. The government has insisted there is enough fuel to cover any shortages as a result of the strike at Grangemouth, but there have been reported queues at petrol stations across the country.

The most popular website for motorists looking for cheap fuel is PetrolPrices.com, which lets you search petrol prices in your area. It claims to offer 8,000 daily updates for 9,717 petrol stations.

A spokeswoman for PetrolPrices.com told Web User: "We have seen a marked increase in traffic recently, almost double to that a year ago, as people look for cheap petrol prices. We currently have around 30,000 unique users a day."

Other websites that let you look for cheap petrol prices include Whatgas.com,Thanet Petrol website and FindCheapPetrol.