A Community development group has warned that the rising cost of petrol is hitting rural communities in Cumbria hardest.

ACTion with Communities in Cumbria says it is becoming harder for people to afford to live in the county's villages.

With little or no bus routes serving rural areas, people depend on cars for shopping, medical appointments and social visits.

Lorrainne Smyth of ACTion with Communities in Cumbria said: "People think it is great to live in rural areas, but it is quite expensive.

"Social landlords are having problems filling their homes in rural areas, because people can't afford to live there.

"It is realistic to say that to live in rural areas costs more, that is massively down to travel costs.

"There is quite a lot of research out there to say it costs more to live in rural areas."

The organisation provides advice and support to rural communities across the county.

The continued rise in prices on petrol station forecourts means that motorists could be paying as much as £86 to fill up their cars.

Visiting the BP garage on the A66 in Penrith would set you back £86.73 to fill up a large fuel tank.

In Millom, you would pay the same to fill up your large tank at the only petrol station in the town.

The next most expensive station was located in Ulverston, at £86.03 to fill up your large tank.

To fill up a medium tank at the same stations, it would cost you £68.15 in Penrith and Millom and £67.60 in Ulverston.

Of the six Cumbria towns and Carlisle that we looked at, the two most expensive places for petrol were Millom and Penrith.

The average price to fill up a car in the UK is £84 for a large tank, £66 for a medium tank and £48 for a small tank.

However, the cheapest places for petrol were the Morrisons stores in Whitehaven and Carlisle.

See our table for your cheapest and most expensive petrol station.

One independent petrol station has been largely unaffected by the rise in the cost of fuel.

Owner of James Street Gas in Carlisle, Chris Tool, said: "Prices have been going up and down regularly for the past few years.

"As long as they all go up together people just have to pay.

"We are still quite busy, people are aware of the prices going up but they are not that bothered. Prices are still down on what they were."

The rise in fuel prices is down to the insecurity surrounding our future, and because of the governments approach to international relations, says the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron.

"First of all, we need to be very much aware of our relationship with international communities," he said.

"The government's cavalier approach to other countries is costing people on low incomes.

"They keep saying how many people are out of work, but that is not the issue. The issue is people being on low incomes, and costs spiralling out of control."

Tim believes that once we leave the single market and the European Union, the country will have less chance of bringing down prices.

"Very often these prices are dictated by international markets, and the lack of direction in where the country is going in the future means the pound is weaker and all other currencies are not investing in this country.

"This is why it costs more to import goods. We don't look like a country people should invest in."

According to Tim, the government is not doing enough to help struggling families.

"It is not doing enough and it has created the circumstances where the price rises. The most fervent supporter of the government wouldn't be able to tell you what the plan for the future of the country is, and this stops people investing in this country."

Five tips on how to save fuel, courtesy of the RAC:

1. If you tend to be an urban driver, only have half a tank of fuel – less weight will help fuel economy.

2. Consider making one round trip rather than several short trips. Once the engine is warm it will operate at its most efficient whereas several cold starts will increase fuel consumption even though the total mileage could be the same.

3. Regular maintenance and servicing improves the efficiency of your vehicle, in turn improving your fuel consumption.

4. The secret to achieving a high mpg figure is driving at the lowest speed you can, in the highest possible gear.

However, road conditions and gradients mean you have to improvise and learn to adjust your driving according to the road ahead.

5. One of the keys to saving fuel is driving at a constant speed, cruise control can do this effectively on flat surfaces, making your driving as fuel efficient as possible by negating unnecessary acceleration.

This only works on flat surfaces though.