MOTORISTS have finally seen relief at the pumps after petrol prices fell for the first time in six months – but campaigners say drivers are still being short-changed.
After climbing more than 6p a litre, petrol hit a high of 139.8p a litre last month before finally edging down to 139.3p on Monday.
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But experts say a slump in oil prices and a stronger pound should have delivered much bigger savings at the pumps, blaming greedy fuel retailers of dragging their feet.
The AA’s pump prices spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “Wholesale petrol costs have been tumbling since mid January and only now has the 8p decrease started to show in the UK’s average price.
“While increased staffing and electricity costs will have impacted on fuel retailer overheads, the AA still believes a substantial cut in pump prices is due.
“The cosy relationship between retailers locally, where those that could cut their prices wait for a rival to make the first move, is one of the reasons why average pump prices have been in a holding pattern for so long.
The fact that that has happened in the winter when road vehicles consume more fuel has added to driver woes.”
Fuel duty has been frozen for over a decade thanks to The Sun’s “Keep It Down” campaign.
Had Rachel Reeves scrapped the 5p fuel duty cut in October, petrol prices would have soared past the pre-pandemic record of 142.5p a litre.
