Filling station charging 'lowest prices since March' as others keep costs 'unnecessarily high'

DA Roberts Fuel Ltd at Grindley Brook Garage in Chester Road, Whitchurch, is selling unleaded at 141.9p and diesel at 163.9p. In comparison, the latest national average is 163.24p for unleaded and 187.42p for diesel.

The Essar-branded forecourt has been selling fuel at those prices for several days this week.

Ricky Allman, finance director at DA Roberts, said: "It was months ago we were last at this price, you're looking at early March.

"Over the last two or three weeks prices have come down almost every day. Overall, prices have dropped quite dramatically."

Its prices have been hailed on social media, with Facebook posts advertising its prices receiving more than 800 comments and shared more than 900 times this week. One post reached more than 650,000 people, compared to the usual 20-30,000, and that has led to more sales on the forecourt.

"We've had people coming from 20-30 miles away because it's 35p cheaper than where they live. We had someone come from the other side of Stoke."

Mr Allman also teased that there could be even better news for drivers of both petrol and diesel vehicles over the coming days.

Earlier this week the RAC accused supermarkets of refusing to pass on lower wholesale costs, claiming their current margins stand at 15p a litre on both petrol and diesel.

The motoring group said the average supermarket price was 160.96p and 184.41p for petrol and diesel respectively, something it described as "unnecessarily high".

Amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in four decades drivers are being denied cheaper fuel by the UK’s biggest retailers refusing to lower their forecourt prices to reflect far lower wholesale costs. The RAC said that if supermarkets lowered their average margins 10p a litre on both fuels, they would be selling petrol for 152p and diesel for 173p – around 9p less for petrol than they are currently and 11p less for diesel.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “With many people struggling to put fuel in their cars it’s very sad to see the biggest fuel retailers taking advantage of their customers by charging far higher prices than they should be. This is unfortunately a perfect example of prices falling like a feather, the opposite of them rocketing up as soon as the wholesale price rises significantly.

“We urge the supermarkets to do the right thing by their customers and cut prices by at least 5p a litre immediately. But, if events of this time last year are anything to go by drivers might be in for some pre-Christmas disappointment because despite similar margins in 2021 the supermarkets failed to cut their prices significantly.

"The big difference this year, of course, is that petrol is on average 16p a litre more expensive (147.27p on 18 November 2021) and diesel is an unbelievable 37p dearer (150.66p on 18 November 2021).”

Mr Williams added that there is now a "remarkable lack of competition" between supermarkets, and again highlighted that independent forecourts offered more competitive prices.

Mr Allman agreed, and thought some firms have kept prices artificially high as wholesale costs have declined.

"People are suffering from prices not being passed on," he added. "I think a lot of companies are artificially putting unleaded prices high because there's not always been a huge gap between the two (petrol and diesel). Here it's 22p."

These were the best prices in Shropshire on Thursday according to petrol-prices.com.

Cheapest petrol in Shropshire

• Essar Grindley Brook Garage (DA Roberts), Chester Road, Whitchurch - 141.9p

• Essar Griffiths Garage, High Street, Leintwardine - 142.9p

• Shell Victoria Garage, Newport Road, Whitchurch - 144.8p

• Texaco Mere Motors, Church Street, Ellesmere - 146.9p

• Essar The Mount Service Station, The Mount, Shrewsbury - 149.9p

• Essar Nesscliffe Service Station, Hollyhead Road, Nesscliffe - 149.9p

• Texaco Hardings Garage, A490, Guilsfield, Welshpool - 149.9p

• Texaco St Martins Service Station, St Martin's Road, St Martin's - 149.9p

• Tesco Stans Superstone, Overton Road, St Martin's - 149.9p

• Murco Four Crosses Filling Station, Holyhead Road, Bicton - 153.9p

Cheapest diesel in Shropshire

• Essar Grindley Brook Garage (DA Roberts), Chester Road, Whitchurch - 163.9p

• Essar Griffiths Garage, High Street, Leintwardine - 167.9p

• Texaco Hardings Garage, A490, Guilsfield, Welshpool - 169.9p

• Shell Victoria Garage, Newport Road, Whitchurch - 171.9p

• Essar The Mount Service Station, The Mount, Shrewsbury - 172.9p

• Essar Nesscliffe Service Station, Hollyhead Road, Nesscliffe - 172.9p

• Texaco Mere Motors, Church Street, Ellesmere - 173.9p

• Murco Four Crosses Filling Station, Holyhead Road, Bicton - 178.9p

• Sainsbury's, Hereford Road, Shrewsbury - 178.9p

• Texaco Robinson and Young Service Station, Shrewsbury Road, Wem - 179.9p

• Texaco Tuffins Welshpool Service Station, A483, Welshpool - 179.9p

• Brook Street Garage, Union Street, Welshpool - 179.9p

• Texaco, A489, Churchstoke - 179.9p

• Co-op, Foldgate Lane, Ludlow - 179.9p

• Texaco Craven Arms Service Station, Shrewsbury Road, Craven Arms - 179.9p

• Gulf Newington Garage Services, Shrewsbury Road, Craven Arms - 179.9p

• Co-op, High Street, Cleobury Mortimer - 179.9p

• Texaco Co-op, Whitehall Bridge Street, Knighton - 179.9p