FUEL bosses have refused to reveal how many refunds have been given after a garage charged 143.9p a litre for unleaded petrol.

BP in Benson hiked its prices on March 5, possibly making it the dearest in the UK.

Garage manager Nooh Mohammed blamed a “sales assistant’s error” and said anyone who was affected could get a refund of the difference.

But BP spokesman Robert Wine declined to say how many people had got their money back. He said: “I can confirm we have given some refunds to customers.

“It was an error that was quickly rectified.”

The price meant £30 bought 20.85 litres of fuel, meaning it would cost drivers more than £70 to fill a 50-litre tank.

Mr Mohammed said the mistake affected drivers in the morning, between about 10am and noon.

When the Oxford Mail visited the garage last week, we were given a refund of £2.30 after putting £30 into the car while the price stood at 143.9p.

Despite Chancellor George Osborne’s decision to cut fuel duty by 1p in Wednesday’s budget, drivers in Oxfordshire are still paying an average of 134.46p for unleaded and 140.19p for diesel, according to website petrolprices.com The City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Cab Association has warned firms may have to impose fuel surcharges on fares.