Overview
- Diesel averages have climbed to about 198p per litre and petrol to roughly 173p per litre, with several local stations publicly listing diesel above £2.00 a litre this weekend.
- News reports link the rise to higher crude trading above $100 a barrel and supply disruption from the Iran/Middle East conflict, which lifted wholesale diesel to around £1.91 per litre.
- Retailers and forecourt owners are reporting squeezed margins while PetrolPrices data shows marked regional differences, with Northern Ireland among the cheapest and the South East, London and Scotland among the most expensive.
- Asda has relaunched a short-term relief measure giving a 5p-per-litre coupon for customers who spend £40 in store at 262 sites, and motoring bodies including the RAC and AA are urging the government to extend or deepen the existing 5p fuel duty cut.
- Analysts and industry sources warn tighter refinery capacity and low emergency stocks could keep prices elevated, a dynamic that could increase costs for small firms, hauliers and rural drivers and put pressure on the Chancellor ahead of the Budget.