Petrol pump prices jumped to 139.7p a litre this weekend, within 3p of the 142.5p record set in the spring, according to figures from the AA. The cost of diesel also rose as Europe's major refiners blamed hurricanes in the US and a string of refinery shutdowns for a spike in the cost of crude oil. A rising oil price will spook the Bank of England, which has relied in its inflation forecasts on a fall in oil prices linked to falling demand across the world. The central bank's monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates, could be prevented from adding to its £375bn programme of quantitative easing to boost ... (full story)