£2 A LITRE
That’s looming record price at pumps as ‘f leeced’ motorists face paying £110 to f ill up their tanks
ANGRY motorists last night complained they are paying through the nozzle as fuel prices head for £2 a litre.
Forecourts have been hiking the cost of diesel and petrol as the war in Ukraine goes on.
Last night, one of the highest prices north of the Border for diesel was 197.9p a litre (£8.86 a gallon) – not on a motorway, but in Scotland’s rural South-West.
This works out at a cost of just under £109 to fill a 55-litre tank in a standard family car and surpasses prices at all major motorway service stations in the Central Belt.
Drivers called for garages to be banned from selling fuel for up to 40p more than supermarkets – which sell both diesel and petrol for around 159.9p – while campaigners accused petroleum giants of profiteering at a time of crisis.
Howard Cox, founder of Fair Fuel UK, said: ‘The UK’s 37 million drivers are being fleeced ruthlessly by the faceless greedy businesses.
‘Unbelievably, even the same branded fuel prices vary considerably just miles apart. It is immoral and more than opportunistic. Yet again the world’s highest taxed drivers continue to be treated as the Government’s and the fuel supply chains’ cash cows.’
Some motorists have abused forecourt staff, who have no control over pricing.
The biggest increase was found at a Shell garage in Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire, where diesel rose to 197.9p – thought to be the current highest charge in Scotland – and unleaded petrol was 170.9p a litre.
Following angry comments and photos of its forecourt price signage posted online, the operators posted a notice on Facebook explaining the reason for the rise.
Now deleted, it read: ‘For all you fuel experts and keen photographers out there, here is our pole sign of today’s prices. We are not making enough profits to cover all our running costs.’
However, the announcement only served to inflame the situation further, especially when a Gulf station in the town held its prices at 174.9p for diesel and 161.9p for petrol.
Replying to the notice, local resident Lynn Somerville said: ‘You should not have posted your “flippant” remark regarding the rise in the cost of fuel. You have angered locals immensely. “Increase due to reduced customers?” You will have plenty more empty spaces on your forecourt.’
At the M90 Kinross junction, often one of the dearest motorway service stations for fuel, diesel yesterday cost 179.9p a litre and petrol 171.9p. Along the M80, at the M9 junction near Stirling, diesel was 189.9p and petrol was 183.9p.
Research showed that city centres had cheaper fuel than rural areas. Average pricing across Scotland was between 165p and 175p for both diesel and petrol.
Ian Taylor, chairman of the Alliance of British Drivers, said the crisis was in part caused by ‘green policies and taxes’.
He added: ‘Prices are going through the roof in a way they never have done before.
‘There are multiple reasons for this. One of them is the desire of some governments to be seen as green and do away with cars.
‘We need the Government to do something where they can – that is reduce some of the green taxes.’