SHELL is leading a return to profit for the petrol companies with prices rising every two weeks or so as the long-running fuel price war comes to an end. And while the petrol companies protested they were simply passing on rising costs of raw materials, industry analysts were sure they were taking a little extra profit.

At Esso, average prices were given as 58.3 pence per litre (265.3 pence per gallon) for unleaded petrol and 58.6 pence per litre (266.6 pence per gallon) for diesel. That represented a price rise of about two pence a litre (nine pence a gallon). At BP a spokesman said the latest prices were 59.3 pence per litre (269.8 pence per gallon) for unleaded and 59.7 pence per litre (271.6 pence per gallon) for diesel. Since the start of the year unleaded BP has gone up by 6.2 pence per litre (28.2 pence per gallon). Shell does not reveal its average pump prices but a spokesman said it did not lead every price rise.