Drivers see fuel prices soar to over 208p a litre

FUEL prices in Wales are continuing to rise with some motorists being charged nearly 209p per litre for fuel.

Pictures from Pont Abraham services in Carmarthenshire show it is 206.9p per litre for petrol and 208.9p for diesel.

At the opposite end of the M4 in Wales, the prices are 187.9p for petrol and 199.9p for diesel at the Magor Services in Monmouthshire.

Figures from data firm Experian show the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts reached a new high of 191.1p on Monday, up by a fraction of a penny from Sunday.

Prices have continued to rise despite the wholesale cost of petrol being around 5p per litre cheaper than early June peaks.

The wholesale cost of diesel has stabilised in recent days. But average pump prices of the fuel reached a record 199.1p per litre on Saturday, falling slightly to 199.0p per litre on Monday.

Yesterday, the Echo checked out some of the prices in Cardiff.

Sainsbury’s was 189.9p for petrol and 197.0p for diesel at its store on Colchester Avenue, up from 183.9p when we last checked on June 15.

Texaco and Shell prices in the city were a similar price at 189.9p for petrol, but diesel was more expensive at 199.9p.

The eye-watering prices come as motoring organisations complain that prices at the pump are failing to reflect wholesale prices.

AA president Edmund King said the Government must step in to lower prices, stating that drivers face an “urgent situation”.

In a nod to Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 dark comedy/crime film Pulp Fiction, Mr King said: “Pump prices are now more like ‘pump fiction’ as they don’t reflect the general downward trends we have been seeing in wholesale prices. This is now an urgent situation. The Prime Minister has hinted at action but we need more than hints. Pressure to force price transparency and a cut in duty would be a step in the right direction.”

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “We strongly hope pump prices have peaked for the time being and will now start to decrease in line with wholesale prices which reduced last week. That, however, is in the hands of retailers.”

A 5p per litre reduction in fuel duty implemented by the Treasury in March has not stopped prices soaring. Earlier this month, the Competition and Markets Authority launched a review of how much drivers are being charged after a request by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.