Millions of drivers could get on average £830 each after a £7.5bn package to reimburse those caught up in the car finance scandal was agreed.

Brits who bought a car since 2007 were victims of unfair car loan deals, which saw dealers receive hidden commissions, with some paying more than is fair for their loan.

The UK finance watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has now finalised their redress scheme for affected drivers.

The scale of the practice was uncovered after three drivers took their cases to court, but only one of the cases was upheld in the Supreme Court, which was feared to limit how many drivers could get compensation.

This ensures it is fair for consumers and proportionate for firms. The eligibility criteria have been tightened, average compensation increased for older agreements and a minimum 3% compensatory interest rate per annum added.

Payouts will be capped in around 1 in 3 cases to ensure no one is put in a better position than had they been treated fairly.

12.1 million agreements made between 2007 and 2024 are now eligible for compensation, fewer than under the FCA’s original proposals.

But the average payout has increased to around £830 per agreement.

The FCA estimates that 75% of eligible consumers will make a claim. If so, total redress paid would be £7.5bn.

Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said: ‘We’ve listened to feedback to make sure the scheme is fair for consumers and proportionate for firms. It will put £7.5 billion back into people’s pockets.

‘Now we need everyone to get behind it and ensure millions get their money this year. Payouts should not be delayed any longer, especially as household bills come under greater pressure. Delivering compensation promptly also gives lenders the chance to rebuild trust, and means we can draw a line under the past and support a healthy motor finance market for the future.’

This is a breaking news story… More to follow…

MORE: Martin Lewis issues urgent ‘use it or lose it’ ISA warning as deadline looms

MORE: A massive pothole wrecked my van and I’m over £1,000 out of pocket

MORE: Are we really facing ‘temporary shortages’ of petrol?

Drivers have been warned of severe delays on the M3 London-bound after two lorries crashed.

A long stretch of the M3 remains closed eastbound towards London after the accident this morning.

The motorway is shut between junction J3 (Bagshot) and J2 (M25) in Surrey.

Rush hour traffic is building up on the eastbound carriageway of the M3, with queues stretching back through Farnborough.

National Highways said one of the lorries involved in the crash hit a gantry, while the other ruptured its oil tank.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘We received a call at 4am to a road traffic collision on the M3 between junction 3 (Lightwater) and Junction 2 (Thorpe) – as you go onto the M25.

‘We have four fire engines in attendance. As a result the eastbound carriageways are closed.

‘This is causing significant delays and traffic – we are expecting closures to be in place for some time due to debris. Please avoid the M3 eastbound until further notice. Both drivers are out of the vehicles and are being checked over by health partner colleagues.’

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE: The ‘picturesque’ commuter town where house prices are falling dramatically

MORE: NCP car park firm on the brink of collapse with 1,000 jobs at risk

MORE: Two car crash forces major M1 motorway to close for several hours

Fuel prices have risen sharply following the war in Iran

Petrol prices in the UK have now shot up by over 10p a litre since the start of the Iran war, according to the latest figures released on Friday afternoon (March 13), showing no let-up in the alarming spike in the cost of fuel.

Retailer data published by the government reveals the average price a litre of unleaded petrol passed the 140p mark on March 13 – but the impact on fuel costs depends largely on which area of the UK you are filling up your car.

In two areas of the country – Cherwell and Great Yarmouth – motorists are paying more than 12p a litre extra for a litre of unleaded compared with the price a week before the US and Israel started bombarding Iran.

But in other places such as Dover, Slough, Elmbridge and the Scottish Borders, the price has gone up by less than 6p on average.

Our interactive map shows the latest average price for a litre of unleaded petrol in every area of the UK reported by retailers on Thursday (March 12) – and also how much it has increased since a week before the conflict began on February 29.

In Cambridgeshire, Cambridge has been named among the 20 most expensive places to buy petrol. The price of petrol is currently sitting at 143.2p, an increase of 6.5p per litre since the start of the Iran war. Motorists in North Warwickshire are facing the highest prices at the pumps, with average prices just short of the 145p mark for E10 unleaded. In more than 130 local authority districts, the average price has gone over 140p.

The 20 most expensive areas to buy petrol are (excluding motorway service stations):

• North Warwickshire – 144.9p. Up 9.0p per litre
• Westminster – 144.1p. Up 6.5p per litre
• Breckland – 143.7p. Up 8.6p per litre
• Wyre Forest – 143.7p. Up 7.1p per litre
• Harlow – 143.6p. Up 7.8p per litre
• Fareham – 143.4p. Up 8.7p per litre
• Cheshire East – 143.2p. Up 8.9p per litre
• Cambridge – 143.2p. Up 6.5p per litre
• West Lancashire – 143.1p. Up 8.8p per litre
• Epping Forest – 143.1p. Up 8.2p per litre
• Sevenoaks – 142.9p. Up 8.3p per litre
• Rochford – 142.9p. Up 8.0p per litre
• Brentwood – 142.9p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Windsor and Maidenhead – 142.8p. Up 9.0p per litre
• North Hertfordshire – 142.8p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Wychavon – 142.7p. Up 9.6p per litre
• Tandridge – 142.6p. Up 7.0p per litre
• Ashford – 142.5p. Up 6.6p per litre
• Chichester – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre
• West Lothian – 142.4p. Up 8.0p per litre

You can find the cheapest petrol prices near you by searching for your postcode in this interactive:

It is estimated that the Iran war is set to cost UK motorists £15m a day in extra fuel costs as prices continue to spike upwards at petrol forecourts around the country.

The impact of the price hikes means that the average cost of all the fuel bought each day in the UK is already costing motorists £12.9m more than it did before the Iran war began on February 28, and that figure is set to pass £15m on current trends.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has put fuel retailers “on notice” that it is stepping up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East conflict.

The CMA’s executive director for markets, Juliette Enser, said: “Whilst price increases might be inevitable because of rising wholesale costs, it is important that those increases reflect genuine cost pressures. We will be closely scrutinising and reporting on what’s happening with fuel prices and call out any concerning behaviour.”

Among the major retailers, Asda Express is charging the highest average price for unleaded petrol. The firm, which operates Asda service stations rather than supermarket forecourts, has an average price of 142.9p per litre – which is 12.1 p more than before the Iran war.

Esso, BP, Shell, Murco and Texaco are all charging motorists an average of over 140p a litre at their petrol stations. Of the big four supermarkets, Tesco is charging the highest price at 138.2p a litre, slightly more than Morrisons (137.7p), Sainsbury’s (137.6p) and Asda (137.1p).

A petrol industry trade group pulled out of a meeting with Chancellor Rachel Reeves after accusing minister of using “inflammatory language” that has led to abuse against forecourt workers.

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) said executive director Gordon Balmer had been invited to take part in the Downing Street meeting with Ms Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband on fuel prices, which was set to take place later on Friday (March 13).

But it said Mr Balmer had withdrawn over concerns that recent language being used by ministers was inciting abuse against fuel retail staff by members of the public.

The PRA said “following several days in which ministers have suggested that forecourts may be ‘price gouging’ and ‘ripping off’ the motorist”, it had looked to get assurances from Ms Reeves’s office that the meeting would be held in private, but that this was not provided.

The PRA said it made the decision not to attend the meeting to “protect retail staff”.

On Thursday, the Competition and Markets Authority warned it was putting fuel retailers “on notice” of plans to step up monitoring of petrol and diesel prices in light of the Middle East uncertainty.

The phenomenon happens when the dust from North Africa deserts travels on warm southerly air currents

Brits might have to clean their cars – but they will see some dazzling sunsets thanks to a unique weather phenomenon. It has been reported that Saharan dust is drifting across the country, and will paint the skies with deep gold, amber, and burnt orange.

The dust is made up of fine sand and mineral particles from deserts of North Africa, travelling thousands of miles on warm southerly air currents. BBC weather revealed that as it moves across the UK, it is expected to change the look of sunrises and sunsets this week.

However, the downside of Saharan dust is that when it mixes with rain, it can leave dirty residue on surfaces. This includes cars and windows in a phenomenon known as blood rain.

The brightest colours are expected on Thursday (March 5) and continuing into Friday (March 6), especially when skies are clear at sunrise and sunset. The colourful skies will be clearer in England and Wales as cooler conditions arrive from the west by the end of the week.

Over the past few days Iberia has been hit by Storm Regina, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and widespread disruption. As the storm moved eastward into the western Mediterranean, it drew up warm southerly winds from North Africa, lifting fine Saharan dust high into the air.

This dust will now drift towards the UK around an area of high pressure that is currently delivering fine, mild, and sunny conditions. According to BBC Weather the striking colours appear high in the atmosphere, where the Saharan dust stays suspended for several kilometres before gradually drifting and settling.

These tiny particles scatter sunlight, filtering out the shorter blue and violet wavelengths and letting the longer red and orange tones appear.

A frequent phenomenon, these weather events usually occur a few times each year. Marks left by blood rain sometimes requiring a wash to remove.

It is however reportedly harmless posing no health risk for most people.

The number of potholes reported this year to date has more than tripled compared to the number reported this time last year

Pothole reports in Peterborough have increased significantly since last year, according to Peterborough City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport.

Speaking at the Full Council Budget meeting on Wednesday (February 25), Councillor Angus Ellis (Lab) said 2026 has already been a bad year for drivers across the city.

He said: “This year is worse than last year; up from January last year to where we are today, there were 231 reports. This year, so far, there are 787.”

Cllr Ellis suggested recent harsh weather conditions had been the driving force behind the exponential increase in road surface damage. “The cold weather followed by the extremely wet weather has created perfect conditions for potholes to form,” he said.

The councillor said road maintenance teams were working hard to get on top of the situation. “We have already fixed 2,431 by the end of January,” he said, “but there is more to do.”

Cllr Ellis highlighted how highways maintenance company M Group have deployed their specialist pothole-fixing utility vehicles – known as ‘Dragon Masters’ – to help resolve the issue.

“Since Monday, they have been fixing potholes,” he said, “and they’ve put an extra crew out there to fix potholes during the night.”

A driving test examiner has explained how to tell the difference between two common road symbols which some motorists might have a habit of mixing up at times…

Do you still remember road signs from your theory test? It can be challenging to retain everything from your driving examination, but it’s essential to keep yourself and other road users safe.

Now one driving test examiner has revealed what a common warning sign means, as it could easily be mistaken for another similar one. Annie regularly shares her expertise on social media and recently explained what this triangular symbol indicates. She said on TikTok: “What does this sign mean? Do you know the answer?

“It’s in the shape of a triangle so remember what I said, all triangle shape signs give us warnings. That’s a triangle that’s a W for a warning. So what is this sign warning you about?

“A lot of people tend to know it’s warning you about a hill, but is it up hill or downhill? Okay let me give you an explanation.”

She continued in the video, which received more than 1,000 likes: “I’m going to make it super easy for you so you get it every single time. Okay so if I was to write the number 50, are you reading that number from left to right or from right to left?

“If the 5 is here and the 0 is higher up than the number 5, that’s warning you about a steep uphill slope. Make sense?

“And if the 5 is here and the 0 is lower down, it’s warning you about a steep downhill slope. So let’s come back to the road sign. So if you read this sign from left to right, is the zero going further up or lower down?

“If the 2 is down and the 0 is above, it’s warning you about a steep hill upwards.”

Triangular road signs in the UK are warning symbols featuring a red border, designed to alert drivers to hazards, unusual road layouts or changes in the conditions ahead.

Typically, these feature a white background with a black, easy-to-understand symbol. These signs warn of dangers like sharp bends, steep hills, junctions or pedestrians.

The Highway Code states triangular, red-bordered, white-background signs warn of steep hills ahead, showing a black triangle pointing up (ascending) or down (descending) with a percentage gradient, such as 20%.

It said: “They alert drivers to prepare for steep inclines by adjusting speed and using low gears, especially for heavy vehicles.”