Europe reels under high fuel prices; protests in Poland

Petrol and diesel prices soared in the UK including in Europe amid the Ukraine war as UK's RAC motoring group called it "a truly dark day".

The Boris Johnson government said the surge was mainly due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war even as the RAC called on the government to slash sales tax on petrol and diesel.

Petrol now costs 182.31p per litre and diesel 188.05p per litre in the UK. The situation worsened after President Putin declared war on Ukraine in February as Western nations moved to boycott Russian oil.

The US had announced a total ban on Russian oil imports as the UK and EU seek to end dependence on the Russian energy supply even as petrol prices have fluctuated with less fuel in the market due to the Russian boycott.

Amid the steep rise in petrol prices, UK's annual inflation hit the highest level in 30 years last month.

Reports claim motorists in the Netherlands have been heading to Germany to fill up petrol since it is cheaper to take advantage of open borders as travellers with cars face a grim summer as they would find it increasingly difficult to take the road due to spiralling fuel prices.

Watch:Russia-Ukraine war: Global food & fuel crisis worsen

Reports claim there are over 246 million cars in the EU with Germany, France and Italy topping car ownership among families as fuel prices become a hot button issue for political parties across the continent.

There were protests in Poland this week as fuel prices reached a new high. Reports claimed car drivers blocked a state-owned petrol station.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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