Petrol retailers branded a ‘disgrace’ as Northamptonshire pump prices hit £2-a-litre despite wholesale costs FALLING

Fuel retailers were branded a “disgrace” as the cost of filling up at supermarkets hit £2 a litre in Northampton.

Tesco at Weston Favell was charging 199.9p for a litre of diesel on Wednesday (June 22) and 193.9 for unleaded as even comparison websites could not keep up with soaring pump prices.

Yet the latest 6p hike comes despite claims by motoring organisations that wholesale prices are FALLING in June and a pending review ordered by the government.

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said: "With petrol continuing to set new records more than a fortnight after the wholesale price started to fall, today’s new record is nothing short of a disgrace.

“The fuel trade is either on a deliberate collision course with the government or they just don’t care.

“The Competition and Markets Authority has launched its probe into road fuel prices and, with previous investigations coming out in favour of fuel companies, the trade probably thinks the same will happen this time.

“The AA and its 13 million members hope that the competition watchdog will dig deep into what is going on with these crippling and unjustified pump prices.”

Comparison website petrolprices.com reported 199.9p-a-litre diesel for Tesco in Weston Favell, Kettering and Wellingborough on Wednesday (June 22) and 198.9p in Corby on June 21. The latest update for Northampton Mereway was 193.9 two days earlier, on June 20.

Asda Rushden’s price was 194.7p on June 22, the same as Corby and Raunds the day before. Kettering Asda had diesel at 193.7p per litre on June 21.

Unleaded prices continue to vary between towns, although the gap is narrowing.

Tesco was reported to be selling unleaded for 190.9p a litre in Kettering on June 21 — 3p a litre cheaper than in Wellingborough and Northampton.

Just a week ago the cheapest unleaded in Northamptonshire was £1.78 in Kettering compared to £1.87 in other parts of the county.

Pump prices have climbed alarmingly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, adding to the current cost of living crisis affecting millions across the UK.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams revealed prices in Northamptonshire are now above the national average.

He said: “Just as more people took to their cars on the first day of the rail strikes on Tuesday (June 21) the average price of petrol increased to 189.33p, taking a full tank over the £104 mark.

“Diesel also reached another new high at 197.11p putting it perilously close to the £2-a-litre milestone. A full fill-up of diesel for a 55-litre family car now costs on average £108.41.”

“With the oil price falling and wholesale costs down over the last week, pressure is mounting on the biggest retailers to turn the tide and put petrol pump prices into reverse.

“It now seems we’ve reached the current petrol peak so we expect to see the big four supermarkets start to cut their prices.

“As they dominate UK fuel retailing this should lead to others reducing their prices too which will benefit drivers everywhere.”