Petrol prices in Stratford - Tesco and Morrisons defend higher costs at pumps

STRATFORD’S supermarkets have insisted they provide competitive prices for fuel – despite their own forecourts being cheaper just a few miles down the road

High fuel prices mean the cost of filling up the family car has now reached a record high for some drivers.

While motoring organisations urge consumers to shop around for the best deals, the Herald revealed last week, when it launched a fair price for fuel campaign, that Stratford drivers pay up to 14 pence more for a litre of petrol in town than other nearby areas.

This week the campaign’s focus turned to supermarkets which were once regarded by drivers as a guaranteed good deal for cheaper fuel, but prices at supermarkets in Stratford don’t reveal any great differences between Tesco and Morrisons, and some drivers believe the lack of price competition on the forecourt means the cost of petrol won’t go down.

A litre of unleaded at Tesco on the Maybird Shopping Centre costs 144.9p and 147.9p for diesel, the same prices as last week. At Morrisons the cost of fuel also remains unchanged since last week with 147.9p (unleaded) and 149.9 (diesel). Both Shell stations are the most expensive places to buy fuel in Stratford – 149.9p (unleaded) and 152.9p (diesel) whereas the UK average is 145.67 for unleaded and 149.03 for diesel (RAC Fuel Watch).

The Herald asked both supermarkets if they had any plans to reduce the cost of petrol in Stratford.

A spokesperson for Morrisons said: “In the UK petrol prices vary from town to town and even neighbourhood to neighbourhood and we will always strive to be competitive in each local area. Occasionally this can mean price differences between different areas open up. We continually review our prices and will look to reduce this difference as soon as we can.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We regularly monitor fuel prices throughout a local area to ensure we’re providing competitive prices for our customers.”

It’s ten years since petrol prices hit an all-time high in April 2012 with a litre of fuel costing 142.48p, but the cost went down eventually until this latest price hike driven by world events and lack of supply.

However, wholesale prices have started to drop but that price difference is not being seen at many UK pumps. The RAC has accused petrol retailers of taking advantage of customers by not passing on lower prices.

It estimates that drivers could be being overcharged by £5 million a day for petrol.

Petrol prices dropped by 2p per litre over a month although the RAC said drivers should have seen a 12p fall with prices nearer to 135p per litre.

Petrol retailers point out that two-thirds of the cost of a litre of fuel goes to the government.