Record profits for a UK company could be set by BP this year after the oil giant revealed today it was taking more than £30m (€44.3m) every day.

Oil giant BP today agreed the $9bn (€7.4bn) sale of its petrochemicals business after scrapping plans for a stock market flotation.

Environmental activists in the UK were today preparing to target an oil refinery in the build-up to the G8 summit.