Petrol sticks at 112p a litre with supermarkets slow to cut cost
Petrol prices have stayed steady for a month at about 112p a litre, despite a 2p fall in the wholesale cost, the AA said today.
The AA said supermarkets were slow to lower prices, although some were offering a litre of petrol at a price below 110p. It found motorway service areas charging almost 120p a litre.
Diesel prices have also stagnated at 113.84p a litre, according to the latest fuel price report.
The cheapest petrol and diesel is in Yorkshire and Humberside at an average of 110.9p and 112.8p a litre. The most expensive is in Northern Ireland at an average of 113.5p and 114.9p a litre.
Edmund King, the AA president, said: "Time will tell the extent to which the general reputation of supermarkets as the place for cheapest fuel has been dented in recent weeks.
"We know from our research that £1.10 a litre is when driver tolerance of higher fuel prices begins to evaporate, and £1.12 may have been sufficient for many car owners to reconsider who they buy their fuel from."
He expressed concern that the fall in the wholesale price by 2p was only a brief respite.
"Inflation-linked fuel tax increases are due in April and stock market speculators in banks bailed out by the taxpayer are once again fixing their sights on 100 dollars a barrel for oil."
