PETROL prices have risen again in York - and still more increases are on the way as war looms closer.

A litre of unleaded now costs 74.9 pence at Tesco's filling station at Dringhouses, compared to 73.9 pence on February 12.

The garage, one of the cheapest in York, was charging only 72.4 pence at the end of January.

It is a similar story at Sainsbury's filling station at Monks Cross, where a litre now costs 75.9 pence, compared with 74.9 pence on February 12, and only 72.9 pence at the end of January. Similar rises have come into force at garages across York and North Yorkshire.

The increases follow soaring international prices for crude oil - and the bad news for motorists is that not all the crude increases have yet fed through to the pumps.

Crude prices have reached their highest since the build-up to the Gulf War almost 13 years ago, at more than 33 dollars a barrel. Traders fear they may soar further following any attack on Iraq, which is one of the world's biggest oil exporters.

Ray Holloway, of the Petrol Retailers' Association, said he anticipated a rise of two or three pence a litre by mid-March.

That could lead to motorists in rural parts of North Yorkshire paying more than at any time since the fuel protests of September 2000.

Mr Holloway felt prices could fall again later in the year in response to an expected fall in crude oil prices, but said "all bets would be off" if other major oil producers such as Kuwait or Saudi Arabia got dragged into the Iraq war.

He said there were other factors behind the increases, including problems with oil supplies to America from Venezuela and cold winter weather in the U.S. which had boosted diesel consumption.

Some motoring groups have called for the Government to cut or freeze fuel duties in the Budget.

The AA urged the Chancellor to take motorists into account, saying an increase in fuel tax would be unwise.

Updated: 09:23 Saturday, March 01, 2003