The long queues of vehicles at petrol filling stations at Aflao prior to the announcement of new fuel prices on Friday have vanished by Saturday morning.

A fuel station dealer, who declined to give his name told the Ghana News Agency that, though he sold fuel to car owners in the few days to the announcement of the new fuel prices " it was true that dealers had petrol but hoarded it".

While some respondents told the GNA that it would be too early to conclude that fuel smuggling into Togo would reduce with the new prices, others were optimistic that the fuel smuggling venture would become less profitable.

Information available indicated that a gallon of petrol in Togo currently sells at 1,400 CFA francs (18,000 cedis) as against the current price of 20,000 cedis in Ghana.

A visit to the Aflao lorry station showed that there were fewer travelers from Aflao to Accra with lorry fares having been increased from between 100 and 120 per cent.

Big and mini-buses, which were charging between 10,000 and 14,000 cedis to Accra now charge between 20,000 and 26,000 cedis. Operators of car hiring service have raised their fares from 25,000 cedis per passenger to 50,000 cedis a passenger.

Mr Emmanuel Agbeviade, a car charter service operator hoped the public would accept the increments.

Prices of manufactured consumer goods and foodstuffs have however, remained the same at the Aflao market.