Oil firms told to cut petrol prices

Fuel giants today came under pressure from Alistair Darling to cut prices at the pump after the fall in the cost of oil.

The Chancellor stressed millions of motorists would expect to see petrol prices fall after the price of oil plummeted by a third from a high of around $150 a barrel to about $100.

He told GMTV: "People understand that when oil prices go up then it puts up petrol prices. Equally, when they come down, they want to see the benefits of that."

Oil companies have been accused of ripping off motorists and the AA says drivers are paying 1.5p a litre more than they should be.