New data claims that supermarket petrol prices have increased every day for the past three months. According to the RAC Fuel Watch, fuel prices at supermarket forecourts have risen virtually every day since 21st. Since then there has only been one five day period when prices stayed at the same rate. Supermarket fuel sales account for around 45 per cent of total petrol and diesel sales across the UK annually.
The data suggests that these prices increased while five other major retailers have managed to slash overall costs.
A litre of unleaded petrol has risen 8.61p from 119.74p to 128.35p since 21st February, finds the data.
It’s worse still for diesel motorists with a price rise of 9.69p from 115.75p to 125.44p.
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “Our data very clearly shows the wholesale price of unleaded has increased dramatically over the last three months which has inevitably led to forecourt prices rising.
“But it is concerning to see the supermarkets, who many drivers trust to provide them with good value, putting up their prices when other smaller retailers have actually being fairer with their customers by more closely mirroring movements in the wholesale price.
“While three months of almost daily price rises isn’t an accurate reflection of wholesale price movements, the supermarkets appear to be protecting profits by being overly cautious about not getting caught out by the odd day of lower wholesale prices in what they believe is a consistently rising wholesale market.
“And, to make matters worse, this comes on top of the supermarkets – and retailers generally – not passing savings in the wholesale price of diesel back to drivers on the forecourt, perhaps in an effort to subsidise the price of petrol.
“We know oil is in shorter supply globally which is unfortunately pushing up prices for drivers at the pumps in the UK.
“We can only hope this isn’t going to continue for too much longer, otherwise we will see a return to the five-year high prices of last October when a litre of petrol was nearly 132p and diesel was 137p.”
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