Motorists are being ‘ripped off’ and ‘exploited’ says FairFuel UK as fuel prices rocket

Motorists are being ‘ripped off’ and ‘exploited’ on the back of the coronavirus crisis says FairFuel UK as fuel prices rocket over the last 12-months.

According to data from RAC Fuel Watch, petrol is now more than 22p a litre more expensive than a year ago – the biggest 12-month increase seen for 11 years.

Unleaded went up by more than 2p a litre in May to 129.27p while diesel also increased by a similar amount to 131.59p. In the seven months since the country last saw the average price of petrol fall, petrol has increased by 15.5p. Diesel is now almost 20p dearer than at the end of last May after a 14.4p hike in the last six months alone.

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK, said: “It is worse than stomach-churning that the fuel supply chain has knowingly used COVID to rip off UK’s 37 million drivers. To exploit a national crisis and screw the world's highest taxed drivers, to line their pockets is scandalous. For decades, wholesalers have ripped off drivers at will, but this time they have reached a new low. Don’t blame the small independent garages who have suffered significantly with lack of forecourt trade, it’s those greedy faceless unchecked businesses further up the fuel supply chain that must be subject to Government scrutiny.

“When oil prices rise and fall, millions of drivers have absolutely no idea what they will subsequently pay at the pumps. It is never, ever the same price!

“FairFuelUK renews The Fair Fuel APPG for Motorists and Hauliers 2019 unfulfilled call for the introduction of an independent Pump Pricing watchdog. It is vital that such a body is endorsed by the Government, with petrol, diesel and Autogas wholesale prices movements made transparent and published daily.”