Oil prices yesterday fell almost 2 per cent to $61.65 a barrel as data showed US demand for petrol and diesel easing.

Some evidence that US drivers are changing their ways in response to high petrol prices has helped push oil down almost $10 from the $70.85 a barrel record of August 30th when Hurricane Katrina blew through the US Gulf.

But the question remains whether the demand drop was caused by the disruption to drivers, refiners and petrol stations from hurricanes or a 50 per cent increase in prices at the pumps over the past year. Data from the US Department of Energy yesterday made clear that the fall in demand was not just seasonal. It added that US petrol demand was likely to be about 200,000 barrels per day less than forecast for at least the next two weeks because of high prices.