Petrol costs over £1 a litre in some rural areas |
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Published
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Sun, 07 Aug 2005 09:05
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The AA Motoring Trust has reported that the price of petrol in some areas is pushing past £1 a litre, triggering concerns that the already struggling economy would be further affected by the surge in the oil prices in the international markets.
The AA said that while the official price of a litre of petrol is at an average of 90 pence, some operators in far-flung areas were already selling it at over a £1 a litre. The trust's petrol price analyst Ruth Bridger observed, "Prices have risen 10p a litre since January, because of the rising cost of crude oil, which has gone up from about $58 to $60 a barrel. We don't expect average UK prices to exceed £1 a litre for a long time." But she added that according to information received by the AA yesterday "at least 46 garages are already charging over £1 a litre."
These 46 garages are but a mere percentage of the overall 10,300 garages in the country. Blackpool topped the list of these 'costly' garages by selling diesel at £1.25 a litre. It was followed by garages in Bristol and Marlborough, Wiltshire, which are selling diesel and unleaded petrol at £1.09 a litre. Ms Bridger did not have any good news for the people as she categorically stated that the oil prices would only escalate, "People were pleased to learn that their mortgage payments would be coming down but now they are paying more for their petrol. If you are a two-car family it is going to cost you an extra £20 a month in extra fuel charges. And we can’t see prices coming down in the short-term," she said.
To overcome this difficulty, Ms Bridger advised people to be aware of the areas where the prices have been hiked and to avoid them if they are on a tight budget. "We'd advise people to keep an eye on different suppliers and look out for special deals," she said. Meanwhile, Paul Waters, the AA director has once again appealed to Chancellor Gordon Brown to reduce fuel tax. At 67 percent this tax is the highest in Europe.
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