“Inflation and interest rates are running high – we do not need further pressures”.
County Cllr Julie Gibson, the Labour Group Shadow Cabinet Member, has called on the Government to act to stop the spiralling increases in diesel at petrol stations. In a recent statement the RAC highlighted that British motorists and businesses are paying over the odds for the fuel – the engine behind the UK Economy, fanning the flames of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis in the process.
Cllr Gibson said: The report makes distressing reading for drivers of diesel cars who are being “ripped-off” at the pumps to the tune of around 16p per litre, according to the motoring group. RAC Fuel Watch analysis showed diesel was 6p a litre cheaper than petrol on the wholesale market at the end of last month. The average pump price, however, stood at 159.43p while petrol was unchanged at 146.5p.
She continued “While the report noted a 4p-per-litre drop for diesel at forecourts during April it said prices in Northern Ireland, where there is a fuel price transparency mechanism in place, were more realistic at 147.47p. I visited some local petrol stations in my area of Skelmersdale and found many inconsistencies. On average diesel drivers were paying between 154.7 and 165.9 across the town while the prices petrol drivers pay were steady at 143.7.
Cllr Gibson said: “We are still in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and interest rates are rising and people’s incomes are being squeezed. The last thing people need is being priced out of filling up their cars. What we are seeing is record profits for the petrol companies, record inflation and it just doesn’t add up. Action at a government level is badly needed to stop drivers being ripped off any longer.”
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