Motorists in rural areas of England watch with dismay as the difference in regional petrol prices grows to more than 1.5 pence per litre. For a typical two-car owning family in Wales or East Anglia, this adds 3.50 extra to their monthly bills1, says the AA Motoring Trust.
Across the UK, hopes that high car fuel prices had turned the corner and were heading down were dashed. Average petrol prices, that had dropped from a May record high of 96.8 pence per litre to 95.5 pence going into June, are now back up to 95.9 pence per litre.
A more reconciliatory approach to the Iranian nuclear row has been offset by continued problems in Nigeria and the continued legacy of last years hurricane season in the USA. News that major oil production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico had finally come back on line was tempered by the first hurricane warning in early June, which reminded stock markets just how badly oil production was hit last year.
The price of crude oil peaked at $71 in May before falling to $68. The price rose again at the same time that Hurricane Alberto threatened, before being downgraded to a tropical storm.
Drivers in rural areas of the UK have been missing out on some of the lower car fuel prices of recent weeks. Whereas, in the North West, petrol prices fell a penny, the fall was nearly half that across the border in Wales, says Ruth Bridger, petrol price analyst for The AA Motoring Trust. Although volumes of fuel sold by individual retailers will explain some of the difference, rural drivers continue to suffer more than elsewhere in the UK.
The early hurricane serves as a warning of what might happen in coming months. Questions need to be asked of the oil industrys preparedness and US fuel reserves to deal with any disruption should history repeat itself in the Gulf of Mexico this year.
NOTES TO EDITORS: 1In mid-May, the difference between the cheapest region of the UK (North West at 96.1p) and the most expensive (East Anglia 97.3p) was 1.2 pence. By mid-June, the difference has grown to 1.6 pence (North West 95.1p, East Anglia 96.7p). In April, the difference was 1.1 pence. As the average UK driver consumes 1,363 litres of petrol per year, the 1.6 pence difference means that motorists in more expensive parts of the country are paying an extra 1.81 a month for their petrol.
View the June fuel price report
