Istanbul, Jan 5 (TIWN) A series of price hikes in natural gas, electricity, and petrol have further strained the livelihood of Turkish people, who are already mired in soaring inflation and national currency depreciation.

At the start of the new year, electricity prices went up by 50 per cent for lower-demand households and 125 per cent for high-demand commercial users, Xinhua news agency reported.

Natural gas prices jumped by 25 per cent for residential use and 50 per cent for industrial use, while petrol prices rose by more than half a lira (about $0.037) per liter, and diesel prices increased by 1.29 liras (about $0.097).

The bridge tolls over the Bosphorus strait in Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul, also saw fresh hikes.

The country has long been battling against high inflation, which skyrocketed by 36.08 per cent year-on-year in December, the highest in 19 years.