New data has revealed the Lancashire areas hardest hit by soaring fuel prices – and the worst is in an East Lancashire borough.

The research, by Forbes Advisor, used new data from the ONS and Petrol Map to compare average weekly wage in every Lancashire area with the current price of a 55 litre tank of petrol, to discover the local authority worst hit by exploding petrol prices.

According to the data, people in Pendle will be hit the hardest by soaring fuel prices.

For those living in Pendle, the price of a tank of petrol will consume 21.5 per cent of their weekly wage – higher than any other area in Lancashire, and well above the county’s average of 18.7 per cent.

Blackpool has the second least affordable petrol in Lancashire, with residents paying 21.3 per cent of their weekly wage towards a tank of petrol.

Hyndburn places third of the list of Lancashire areas with the least affordable petrol, with a 55 litre tank of petrol consuming 20.3 per cent of the average weekly wage in the area – well above the Lancashire average of 18.7per cent.

Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Preston also fare badly when it comes to the affordability of petrol, with residents paying 19.1 per cent and 18.7 per cent of their wage towards petrol respectively.

At the other end of the scale, Ribble Valley residents find petrol the most affordable, with a 55 litre tank of petrol taking up only 16 per cent of their weekly wage.

Fylde is the Lancashire area with the second most affordable petrol, with 16.2 per cent of the weekly wage in Fylde going towards petrol. Chorley also fares well, with motorists paying 16.9 per cent of their weekly wage towards petrol, in comparison to the Lancashire average of 18.7 per cent.

Here is the full list:

A spokesperson for Forbes Advisor commented on the findings:

“We’ve seen a new and terrifying increase in people facing increased fuel costs, even though petrol prices have been skyrocketing since last autumn.

“The fact that a tank of petrol is consuming nearly a quarter of weekly wages in areas such as Pendle and Blackpool in Lancashire is extraordinary, and factors have merged to create the perfect storm for fuel poverty.

“Regional disparity in wages mean that the lowest earners in Lancashire are bearing the brunt of skyrocketing petrol costs, and many areas risk being pushed into poverty”