Highway drivers are encountering petrol costs reaching almost 185p per litre and diesel exceeding 205p.

The AA has revealed that motorists could cut their fuel bill by as much as 20p per litre by choosing to refuel on main A-roads instead.

Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel pricing expert, questioned whether summer holiday journeys can be completed without having to brave the inflated prices at motorway service stations, and whether it makes more sense to take the faster motorway route with pricier fuel or the potentially longer A-road journey with substantially cheaper petrol and diesel.

The AA’s investigation showed that at the beginning of the week, 31 out of 50 motorway service stations were billing at least 184.9p for petrol.

On major holiday routes, motorway fuel pumps were charging around 180.7p per litre for petrol and 203p per litre for diesel on average.

In contrast, A-road fuel costs were notably lower, at approximately 163.4p and 194.4p respectively.