| Morrisons slashed the cost of diesel to below 99.9p yesterday and the move saw an almost immediate reaction at the pumps.
Prices begun dropping at forecourts today with Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Shell among the big names joining Morrisons in cutting the cost of diesel to 99.9p.
Petrol prices were also chopped, with unleaded now 87.9p at Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco pumps.
Motorists expressed delight at the cuts.
Scott Cumming, of West Ferry in Dundee, who drives to work in Aberdeen every day, said he was pleased he’ll be able to fill up for less but argued prices should be lower still.
“Oil prices are dropping and it’s about 41 dollars a barrel just now,” he said. “It was $147 a barrel at its peak in the summer.
“The price at the pump has dropped 20p – it’s great that it’s cheaper but it should still be lower at the pump.”
Supermarkets have been leading the way in cutting the price of petrol, with Morrisons being the first to drop unleaded below the £1-a-litre mark in October and under 90p last month.
A spokesman for the AA today said that could also have a knock-on effect at smaller garages.
“As soon as a giant retailer drops its prices, lots of smaller garages tend to follow suit,” he said. “This will inevitably have a knock-on effect on the national average price of petrol.
“However, a little bit of political instability or a hurricane in the Caribbean could end this downturn.
“It's hard to tell whether the trend is because of a supermarket price war or the falling price of oil. But it offers a little bit of respite at last.”
Morrisons chief executive Marc Bolland said, “Morrisons is taking the lead again in helping motorists.
“This time, we’re the first in the UK to sell diesel for less than £1 a litre. We are absolutely committed to giving the strongest value for our growing number of customers.”
The latest reduction by the supermarket means it has now slashed up to 34p a litre off diesel prices since July — saving drivers of an average diesel family car more than £18 on a full tank of fuel.
Asda trading director Darren Blackhurst said it was the company’s 13th consecutive price cut.
“Both petrol and diesel costs have dropped and we are passing these on to customers as quickly as possible.”
James Tan, Sainsbury’s head of petrol, confirmed further fuel cuts were planned.
“From today, many will see prices drop as low as 87.9p for unleaded and 99.9p for diesel,” he said. |
