MY sports editor colleague Marcus Crawley, who is an on-the-ball sort of chap, is not one to mince his words. But he was left speechless, for a short time anyway, when he went to refuel the other night. It was coming up to midnight when he parked at the p

MY sports editor colleague Marcus Crawley, who is an on-the-ball sort of chap, is not one to mince his words.

But he was left speechless, for a short time anyway, when he went to refuel the other night.

It was coming up to midnight when he parked at the pump, unlocked the filler cap and grabbed the nozzle.

And he was just about to get the petrol flowing when the price displayed on the pump jumped by 1p to 108.9p a litre before his very eyes.

"I couldn't believe it," recounted an amazed Marcus.

I have news for him - the instant price increase is nothing compared to what is predicted to come.

The founder of a website which keeps an eye on petrol prices reckons that the cost could hit £1.50 a litre by September.

There was a bit of a furore not so long ago when it tipped over the £1 mark. It was in 2000 when the nation was hit by fuel price strikes with haulage company bosses and others stirring things up with dire warnings of what would happen if prices went up any more. Then, if memory serves correct, we were all worried about the cost breaching 76p.

Eight years on and we are faced with the prospect of an increase of around 40 per cent in just five months.

Bring on the old days - or, more realistically, dust off your bike in the shed, that may be the only affordable way to travel soon.

If that happens in a big way, the cut down in exhaust emissions would certainly help the world in the fight against global warming.

I was reminded this week of another way to save the planet. It came in the form of a press release which carried the headline "Take an old bag shopping".

No comment on that, but on reading further I discovered that Sainsbury's is encouraging customers to re-use their shopping bags by giving away fridge magnets and car window stickers reminding them to do just that.

Sainsbury's is feeling chuffed with itself over its "make a difference" days which were launched a year ago by giving away Bags for Life to encourage customers switching to reusable bags.

This was "hugely successful", resulting in the company reducing the number of plastic bags given out by 100 million which, the statisticians will gleefully tell you, amounts to 875 tonnes of plastic - enough bags to go round the world at least once. Amazing.

What I don't get, though, is if people are so aware and keen on using reusable bags for their shopping, why do they need fridge magnets and window stickers to constantly remind them?

Before you nod off, just a reminder that it is National Stop Snoring Week next week. Research reveals that 12 million snorers know they disturb their bed partners' sleep, but two million say they don't care.

The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association says that snoring is treatable. Someone I know finds a sharp elbow in the side does the trick.