With the price of fuel going up several times over the last twelve months, many Britons are concerned that the pressures that their finances are under are also increasing.

In findings by moneysupermarket, it was indicated that the price of petrol has exceeded the one pound and ten pence per litre barrier. However, the price of oil was shown as hitting record levels as electricity and gas prices have gone up by 15 per cent since the start of the year.

Research from the moneysupermarket show that two-thirds (66.9 per cent) of Consumers surveyed stated that they are "very worried" about how they will be able to manage their finances should energy prices continue to increase. However, it was reported that some some 30 per cent will be a "little concerned" about how their ability to get to grips with spending should the cost of fuel continue to increase.

On top of facing increases in this area of financial demand, it may be that people develop other problems with their money management. This could see them struggling to make repayments on loans, credit and store cards, mortgages, domestic bills and travel costs.

On the other hand, just 0.6 per cent of those that took part in the study report that they are not worried about the prospect of fuel costs going up. An estimated 3.4 per cent think that they will be ok should this financial burden worsen, although they would prefer for this not to happen.

Tim Moss, head of debt for the moneysupermarket, said: "Brits are being stretched to breaking point as our poll of moneysupermarket users shows. Rising fuel prices are a massive issue right now, in much the same way as they were during the fuel protests of eight years ago. Leading economists have been telling the government it can afford to drop the cost of petrol by nine pence per litre without having any effect on its bottom line. People are really starting to suffer and need help urgently."

He added that as the public has "no power" to enforce any control over the tax that the government places on fuel, it is important for consumers to get to grips with the spending areas which they can control. Mr Moss asserted that it is necessary people take the time to organise their finances and recognise what areas of expenditure that they have. By doing so, he claimed that they should concentrate on contributions towards essential areas of current expenditure - household bills and mortgage or rent costs for instance - a priority. Meantime, less pressing demands on current expenditure, such as magazine subscriptions, may have to be reduced.

Additionally, it was reported that those people who feel that they are unable to get to grips with their finances by themselves should obtain independent guidance from the likes of the Buyer Credit Counselling Service and Citizens Advice.

Those Britons who are worried about their ability to manage their finances in the face of rising energy costs, might wish to consider taking out a low cost consolidation loan. By doing so, borrowers could find that they are able to merge numerous constraints on their spending at once leaving them with low-cost monthly repayments. Such a loan could turn out to be particularly useful for a lot of after a study by uSwitch indicated that some 4.5 million Britons are currently struggling to heat their homes.