Oil giant BP has reported another set of record profits as booming oil prices boost its coffers.
Profits for the first six months of the year came in at £6.94 billion - up by almost a third on the same time last year. The figure works out at well over £400 a second.
BP, the world's second-largest oil company in terms of market capitalisation, has seen the price of crude oil gush higher in recent times - at one point to well over $60 a barrel.
Shareholders and pension funds are also benefiting from the huge influx of cash.
BP is returning billions to investors and pensioners through higher dividends and share buy-backs. It said buy-backs will total some £3.4 billion in its second half.
Capital investment for the whole of 2005 will come in at around £8.3 billion - £300 million more than last year. BP expects to spend almost £8.6 billion in 2006.
The profit figure for the second quarter was £3.33 billion, which was above even the most optimistic forecasts by City analysts, who had thought it would be £100 million lower. That was compared to £2.33 billion only a year before.