Governments around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning when, despite the price of oil reaching a record $140 per barrel, it was officially announced by OPEC that the size of barrels is now bigger than ever before.
The size of an oil barrel has always been 2 feet 6 inches high with a diameter of 24 inches, but new figures show that the current height of a barrel with the same diameter is nearly 3 feet, meaning that, in real terms, crude oil is now 20% cheaper than it has been for 30 years.
Experts say that, in general, oil prices are a good indication of how buoyant the barrel market is, and several have estimated that, if barrels go beyond the 3 feet tall mark, the global economy will be well on the way to recovery.
All major petrol UK companies how vowed to keep their prices capped at the current price level until this information has been confirmed by the government, whereupon there will be another unaffordable massive rise next week.
