Diesel prices in Northern Ireland's most rural counties have risen to over £2 per litre at some forecourts, with Fermanagh and Tyrone averaging over 194p per litre. That is up from around 132p in February.

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Diana Armstrong has called on the Chancellor to rule out any increase in fuel duty in the upcoming Budget. She said rural households and farm businesses are being hit hardest by rising fuel costs.

"The places paying the most are the places with the fewest alternatives," Armstrong said. "There is no bus. There is no train. If you live in rural Northern Ireland you drive, or you do not go."

Armstrong noted that more than half of cars in Northern Ireland run on diesel, compared with about a third across Great Britain. She said rural households face longer distances to work, school, doctors, and markets, with no viable public transport.

The rising cost of diesel affects not just households but farm businesses and rural trades. Armstrong said fuel costs are embedded in feed, fertiliser, contractors, and hauliers, and the added expense comes straight off the bottom line for builders, plumbers, vets, and agricultural contractors.

Meanwhile, drivers across Northern Ireland can now compare petrol and diesel prices on Google Maps, using Fuel Finder data that the government says covers around 99% of fuel sold on UK roads. The feature is estimated to save an average household with a car about £40 a year.

Petrol stations have been required since February to report fuel price changes within 30 minutes or risk a fine from the Competition and Markets Authority.