Gas prices in America went past $4 a gallon at the weekend for the first time ever, ensuring US citizens' purse strings are stretched once again.

Prices could increase further still in the coming weeks, as crude oil fees continue their upward trajectory, reports the Associated Press (AP).

Yolanda Cade, managing director of public relations at automobile club AAA, indicated that American drivers are likely to have to pay more for their fuel, although gas retailers have been warned about their conduct in the current economic climate.

"We've cautioned gasoline station owners against not recklessly increasing retail prices just because of one big jump in the crude market," the AP reported Ms Cade as saying.

Referring to the new price-per-gallon figure, she added: "One day of trading doesn't constitute a market trend."

Chairman and member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Dr Ben S. Bernanke said last week that Americans will have to deal with falling house prices and higher energy costs in the coming months.

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