The average price for a litre of fuel at a pump has reportedly risen by 2.5p after garages were forced to dispose of fuel stocks contaminated with silicon at the Essex Harvest Energy depot.

But consumer groups have protested that the prices of petrol across the country should not have been affected by the contamination of a limited supply of stock.

“It’s not everybody’s fuel that has been contaminated – it’s only the stuff from this depot in Essex,” Hugh Bladon of the Association of British Drivers told the Telegraph.

“If they’re going to put up prices for the rest of the country, that’s not fair,” he added.

There are also protests against customers being forced to foot the bill for the repairs to their cars, after thousands of engines failed as a result of the silicon in the affected petrol.

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, has called on the supermarkets implicated in the scandal to compensate customers for lost fuel and repairs.

To compare car insurance deals, click here.

© Adfero Ltd