MOTORISTS in Plymouth have seen their monthly petrol bills for getting to work increase by eight per cent in less than a year, figures show.

It came as the Prime Minister hinted that the Government may not go ahead with a 3p hike in fuel duty pencilled in for January.

David Cameron told the Commons at a time of economic difficulty it was important to show the Government was supporting people, including "helping them with their motoring expenses".

The Tory-led coalition has been under mounting pressure from MPs - many from the Conservative benches - to take action to hold down fuel prices.

Figures have been released that calculate the cost of the monthly commute for all local authority areas in Britain.

Published by the campaign group the Countryside Alliance, they show that commuters in rural areas have been hit harder because of the greater distances to get to work.

But the data also reveals the significant hike in costs faced by motorists across the board due to soaring petrol prices.

In Plymouth, the average fuel bill for the monthly commute rose between January and November this year by more than £4 to £57.92 – an increase of eight per cent.

In the rural South Hams it increased by around £5.60 taking the monthly bill to £79.15, while in Cornwall it went up by £5.18 to £72.93.

Jenny Dunn, policy researcher for the Countryside Alliance, said: "The unprecedented rise in fuel costs since the beginning of the year has placed a heavy burden on people who need their car to get to work."

Pressed over motoring costs at Westminster, Mr Cameron said the Government had halted planned tax increases on petrol, and actually cut duty.

He said: "Effectively, that was 6p off a litre of diesel or petrol. It seems to me essential that, at a time of economic difficulty, we demonstrate that we are behind those people who want to work hard and do the right thing, by freezing their council tax, scrapping Labour's jobs tax and helping them with their motoring expenses."