IN the year 2000, petrol prices of 80 pence a litre were enough to spark protests across the country.

Drivers in 2013 might look back on those days with a bit of nostalgia.

Today, 135.9p is just about the lowest you will pay locally for a litre of unleaded.

And whereas the economy in 2000 was buoyant, most people today face painful restrictions on their incomes and relentless rises in basic household bills.

Time will tell whether petrol prices will go so high that people will stop driving. Meanwhile, it pays to shop around.