HOPES of a £200 million cash bonanza for British industry if the fuel price war declared by the major retailers earlier this year was sustained for a year have been destroyed.

Fuel prices have increased by between three and four pence a gallon for all fuel types returning pump prices to their pre-price war level, according to PHH Vehicle Management Services. The company's latest monthly fuel report says price rises have 'quietly been introduced' across many forecourts nationwide.

PHH's monthly fuel reports are based on almost 600 transactions a week, worth £16 million by 500,000 business drivers using the PHH AllStar Fuelcard. Pump prices are: diesel - lowest, Glasgow 240.21p a gallon/52.84p a litre, highest, Belfast 368.3p/59.02p; super unleaded - lowest, Glasgow 249.71p/54.93p, highest, Reading 271.25p/59.67p; unleaded - lowest, Glasgow 236.86p/52.11p, highest - Belfast 263.03p/57.86p; four star - lowest, Inverness 261.71p/57.57p, highest, Buxton 280.62p/61.73p.