Sunday 26 June 2011

The price of petrol

I've just read an article in MailOnline regarding the price of petrol down south. It bears absolutely no relation to the cost of living here in Shetland.


Stores cut unleaded petrol to 69.9p a litre

by RAY MASSEY, Daily Mail
Supermarket chains yesterday slashed the cost of unleaded petrol to below 70p a litre at some filling stations - the cheapest for two years.
The move came as the Morrisons group, which has 88 forecourts and 114 stores across England and Wales, sold unleaded for 69.9 pence a litre, a drop of about two pence.
The price is about 12 pence a litre less than last year, and was last seen in April 1999.
A spokesman for the firm said customers would reap the benefits of a fall in crude oil prices through savings at the pumps.
Asda immediately said it would match the cut, announcing that from today none of its forecourts would sell petrol for more than 69.9p.
A spokesman said: 'Some of our stations may be lower than that, of course, but that is the maximum.'
Tesco said it would also match the low prices and added: 'If we have a Morrisons within three miles of one of our stores we will match that price.'
And Sainsbury's said unleaded would cost 69.9 pence at all its 225 UK filling stations stores from today.
More filling stations are expected to follow as petrol retailers have vowed to keep prices 'competitive'.
But critics said the cuts, while welcome and likely to continue, were only shadowing the drop in crude oil prices.
They added that British motorists were still paying the highest prices in Europe, and blamed the high taxes - around 80p in the pound - imposed by Chancellor Gordon Brown for the scandal.
Yesterday, the Allstar Fuel Report by Arval PHH, Europe's biggest fuel and fleet management company, said UK unleaded petrol prices have fallen week on week since the September 11 terror attacks on the United States. They have dropped from an average 76.7p per litre to 75.2p. During the same period, the price of crude oil has fallen from between $28 and $30 a barrel to between $21 and $23.
Martin Hender, director of fuel at Arval PHH, said the fall in oil prices was due to a combination of recession fears, a downturn in global oil demand, plentiful supplies and the fall-out from the September 11 tragedy.
He added: 'UK fuel prices have fallen by 7 per cent from 12 months ago. But what is needed now is action from the Government on the rate of tax on petrol, which remains the highest in Europe.'
John Bond-Smith, president of the Retail Motor Industry Federation, yesterday called on the Government to appoint a regulator to monitor excessive profits made by oil companies while retailers were squeezed out of business.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-80407/Stores-cut-unleaded-petrol-69-9p-litre.html#ixzz1QOVgUjH9



It really makes a huge difference to the cost of living, in effect cutting the cost of food as the cost of travelling to and from the shop is hugely different up here when compared to the price down south.


Can that be considered fair or reasonable?