FUEL prices have soared past the £1 per litre mark, after Hurricane Katrina dramatically hit oil prices.

Filling stations around the country have increased their prices and one garage in Heywood Road, Prestwich, is selling unleaded petrol at £1.06 per litre.

The independently owned Express garage also had diesel for sale at £1.03 per litre - believed to be the most expensive in the region.

A Guide survey of the six petrol stations in Prestwich and Whitefield at 10am today showed a difference of 15p per litre from the cheapest of 90.9p at Tesco, to the dearest at the Express garage. An Express spokesman said he was forced to up his prices after Katrina knocked out ten per cent of America's oil refining capacity.

"It is because we are an independent distributor," he said.

"All the major companies and supermarkets have a buffer stock which we just don't have. With a small garage, if the price of fuel goes up then our prices go up as well, where it would take around a month for the larger companies to increase their prices."

Mr Patel said he was buying his unleaded petrol at £1.01 which had forced him to sell at £1.06 - the highest it had ever been.

The 24-hour garage, whose fuel is normally priced higher than other local stations, is currently the subject of a planning proposal to transform the site into apartments.

Elsewhere in Prestwich and Whitefield, fuel prices fared well with the national average of 95.1 pence per litre.

The cheapest fuel in the area was at Tesco, Prestwich, where the forecourt was packed with motorists filling up at 90.9 pence per litre.

At many garages customers were filling up their cars, as well as petrol canisters in case a shortage was on the cards.

On Wednesday, as prices crept higher campaign group Fuel Lobby threatened to blockade oil refineries next week if the Government did not cut the tax on fuel to ease the crisis for motorists.

One motorist, who filled up at Total in Bury New Road, Whitefield agreed that fuel tax should be reduced.

Car mechanic Jed Fletcher said: "Petrol is a rip-off. A huge percentage of the price is tax. I won't be doing anything different though in light of recent events. You have got to use your car haven't you?"

Vehicle-led businesses were also feeling the pinch. Alan Currie, of Magnum-Whiteline taxi firm in Prestwich, said: "They are all self-employed lads and the rising cost of petrol is hitting their pockets hard.

"The cost of fuel has been slowly rising over a number of years but when something like this happens it doesn't help at all. We are having to put prices up to compensate as there isn't the same business there."

Prices on show at 10am on Thursday:

Express in Heywood Road, Prestwich: unleaded at £1.06 per litre; diesel at £1.03 per litre

Total in Bury New Road, Whitefield: unleaded at 94.9 pence per litre; diesel at 97.9 pence per litre; super unleaded at 100.9 pence per litre

BP in Bury new Road, Prestwich: unleaded at 93.9 pence; diesel at 95.9 pence

Shell in Bury New Road, Sedgley Park: unleaded at 93.9 pence; diesel at 94.9 pence

Esso at Kirkham's in Bury old Road, Whitefield: unleaded at 93.5; diesel at 94.9 pence

Tesco in Bury New Road, Prestwich: unleaded at 90.9 pence; diesel at 93.9 pence