TEMPERATURES were on the rise at the petrol pumps yesterday as motorists vented their anger as fuel prices hit a record high.

Increased duties and taxes as well as trouble in the Middle East has seen the average cost of petrol in Swindon rise to 132p a litre and 138p a litre for diesel.

An Adver investigation has found that the cheapest petrol – 127.9p a litre – can only be found at two supermarkets, Tesco, in Ocotal Way and Sainsbury’s, in Bridgemead.

Meanwhile the most expensive in Swindon is Texaco, in Marlborough Road, and Queen’s Drive at 134.9p a litre and outside the town, in Wootton Bassett, Esso charges 134.9p a litre.

At the pumps drivers were fuming at the high price of fuel.

Denny Roberts, 35, who commutes to Swindon from Dorset for work, said: “I do about 260 miles a day. It is ridiculous – the government are going to have to do something about it.

“I have noticed on the motorway people are driving more slowly and everybody is trying to save on fuel.”

Annie Harper, 24, of Stratton, who was filling up at BP in Bridge End Road, said she is happy to shop around.

She said: “I make sure I go anywhere that does Nectar points.

“I usually fill up in Sainsbury’s in Stratton because it is one of the cheapest. But the prices are astronomical.”

Vivienne Deacon, 56, of Cheltenham said: “I think it’s disgusting – I used to fill up and it would last me a week and now I have to fill up twice. I’m thinking of getting a car with better miles per gallon.”

Ted Burton, 80, of Marlborough, who was visiting Swindon for the day with his wife Dorothy, 74, said: “It’s terrible.

“They should not charge so much tax and they have got to stop it increasing.”

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We work extremely hard to keep prices down but there are so many factors involved.

“At the moment we offer 5p off a every litre when customers spend more than £50 in store and also Clubcard points can be used against petrol.”

A spokesman for Asda said: “When it comes to petrol pricing we keep it simple – when our costs fall we try to be the first to drop the price on the forecourt, and when costs are rising as they are now, we aim to be the last to have to put our prices up.

“So, whenever we drop prices, we set a maximum national price cap and don’t go a penny above that until we have to.”

A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: “Our petrol prices are among the lowest in the country and our customers know that whenever they fill up with us, they enjoy the best possible value.

“We constantly review our pricing versus the local competitors to ensure our customers get a competitive price for their petrol.”