Petrol could go up by 10p a litre following news part of the Grangemouth site will shut down after bitter union-led row over pay and conditions AA says closure reflects concerns in the refining industry Rise would be caused by Britain having to rely on imported fuel Could be similar to when prices reached a record of 140p a litre Owners Ineos said they were closing the plant because of huge losses Petrol prices could rise by up to 10p a litre if more oil refineries close because Britain will be forced to import foreign fuel, motoring experts have warned. The warning comes after the petrochemical plant at the Grangemouth complex in Scotland was forced to close it doors due to losses of £10million a month. The AA claimed the closure increased concerns within the refining industry that more sites will suffer the same fate. Desperate: Staff stage a protest at Grangemouth in a last ditch attempt to save the refinery The AA warned this would lead to price increases similar to those experienced last year, when unleaded was pushed above 140p a litre. Forecourts in Scotland were urged to increase their stocks of petrol in case the plant is permanently shut down. The closure was announced by the owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery, Ineos, throwing a reported 800 people out of work. Edmund King, the President of AA, said: 'This closure is a major blow for the workers involved, local employment and indeed the fuel supply chain. The AA is concerned with the impact of this refinery closure. The European commodity trading houses have been predicting the loss of five to six refinery plants over the next two years. Decision: The owners of the plant, Ineos, said the site is being shut down because it is losing £10m a month Hike: Edmund King, the President of the AA, said the closure could add up to 10p a litre In March/April of last year, with the closure of refineries and the impending start of the US motoring season, wholesale prices went up by 20 percent, adding 8p to 10p to a litre of petrol. The spike was short-lived because US drivers cut back and some of the refineries were bought. However, the damage was done and a new UK petrol record (142.48p a litre) was set. Let us hope this decision can be reversed. AA public affairs spokesman Luke Bosdett told the Daily Telegraph: 'Grangemouth is a symptom of a bigger threat. There is a lot of talk of European refineries needing to close because of over capacity and because they are old. But our concern is that this echoes what has happened with the domestic energy generators - ageing plants being closed down and a greater reliance on imports. The country could be sleep-walking into the same consumer nightmare that we have with gas and electricity. He added: 'What happens when the recovery comes and the demand for fuel, particularly diesel reaches 2008 levels? Imported and hoarded fuel will go to where it can get the best price. Owners of the plant, Ineos, said they were shutting it down because it was losing £10million a month. Bosses did, however, say they would consider reopening the plant if the union representing the workers agreed not to strike. Calum MacLean, Grangemouth Petrochemicals chairman, said: 'This is a hugely sad day for everyone at Grangemouth. We have tried our hardest to convince employees of the need for change but unsuccessfully. There was only ever going to be one outcome to this story if nothing changed and we continued to lose money. The workers were offered sizeable pay cuts as well as a substantial reduction in pension and holiday allowance, but employees refused to give into the demands. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond is said to be using his new links with China to find a potential buyer for the site while others have called for the Scottish Government to take it into public ownership.