Town's fuel still above UK average

PETROL prices soared to near record levels last week – but Stratford drivers were still left paying above the national average of 148.02p a litre.

Despite the looming cost-of-living crisis, as of last week forecourts in Stratford were selling petrol at: Shell, Shipston Road, 152.9p; Shell, Evesham Road, 152.9p; Texaco, Alcester Road, 151.9p and Morrisons 148.9p. Tesco Stratford was below the average at 146.9p.

As highlighted at the start of the Herald’s Fair Play on Fuel campaign launched last month, the picture in neighbouring towns is different when it comes to pump prices. In Leamington, as of last week drivers could fill up on unleaded at: Asda, 143.7p; Sainsbury’s 143.9p and Morrisons, 144.7p.

“The cost-of-living crisis has been ratcheted up yet another notch, tightening the vice on family spending when it faces other pressures from impending domestic energy cost and tax increases,” says Luke Bosdet, the AA’s fuel price spokesman.

Following pump prices hitting a record high last November (150.96p per litre of petrol), the AA polled 15,335 of its members to gauge the impact on personal and family spending. It revealed that 43 per cent of them were cutting back on car use, other consumer spending or both - hitting 59 per cent for the youngest drivers and 53 per cent for lower-income motorists.

Among drivers aged 18 to 34, 28 per cent were cutting back on other consumer spending to compensate.

The RAC’s fuel spokesman Simon Williams said the price of filling a 55-litre family car was £81.41.

“With the oil price teetering on the brink of $100 a barrel and retailers keen to pass on the increase in wholesale fuel quickly, new records could now be set on a daily basis in the coming weeks." he said.

The latest UK average petrol and diesel prices per litre are: unleaded, 149.43; super unleaded, 161.48; diesel, 152.83; LPG, 83.09