Anxiety and anger at pumps as prices soar
DRIVERS SAY THEY FEEL RIPPED-OFF ON FORECOURTS
DRIVERS in Leicestershire have said the huge increases in the cost of fuel have left them feeling anxious and cutting back on journeys to the point where some are “hardly able to leave the house”.
The average price of diesel is “perilously close” to £2 per litre, with RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams saying that wholesale costs mean pump prices are “on course” to move closer to the milestone.
Figures from data firm Experian showed the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts reached a new high of 197.1p on Tuesday.
The average price of petrol was a record 189.3p per litre, which the AA branded “a disgrace”.
Twelve months ago the prices were 133.5p for diesel and 131.1p for petrol.
There is some hope that unleaded prices have peaked, but that is not the case for diesel.
Mr Williams said the price of diesel is “perilously close to the £2-a-litre milestone”, with the cost of a full tank for a 55-litre family car exceeding £108.
He said: “With the oil price falling and wholesale costs down over the last week, pressure is mounting on the biggest retailers to turn the tide and put petrol pump prices into reverse.
“It now seems we’ve reached the current petrol peak, so we expect to see the big four supermarkets start to cut their prices.
“As they dominate UK fuel retailing this should lead to others reducing their prices too, which will benefit drivers everywhere.
“The situation with diesel is different, unfortunately, as wholesale prices last week still put it on course to move closer towards an average of £2 a litre.
“If, however, oil continues to trade lower it could just prevent this from becoming a reality.”
AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “With petrol continuing to set new records more than a fortnight after the wholesale price started to fall, today’s new record is nothing short of a disgrace.”
The Mercury gauged the views of motorists filling up in Leicester on Tuesday afternoon, when unleaded prices at the stations we visited ranged between 183.7p and 192.9p a litre. Diesel was 198.9p in one of the stations.
Jyoshna Bhatt, who is currently the sole breadwinner for her family-of-three, said she can no longer fill her tank to the top.
She said: “I just get so anxious when I see the little arrow get below a quarter tank.
“I don’t even do a full tank anymore as I just can’t justify spending over £80 on fuel in one go.”
Matt Lowe, from Thurmaston, said he “hardly leaves the house” because of the price increases.
He said: “I think the way these fuel prices are going is a complete rip-off.
“I work from home and I like to get out when I can to go see my mates but all these extra costs means I hardly leave the house because of it.
Dev Patel, 32, of Evington, said “Every time I drive up to the forecourt, I feel like I need to prepare myself mentally.
“I try not to take keep track of the rises as it just makes me angry.”
Mandy Smith, 28, said: “I’ve worked since I was 16 and I’ve been driving since I was 17. But never in all those years have I felt like I couldn’t afford fuel. The way things are now I think the public is being completely ripped off.”