Filling stations out of petrol and diesel as panic buyers stock up before VAT increase

Sainsbury's petrol station at Murrayfield - one of the cheapest in the Capital - saw supplies run dry yesterday afternoon

Drivers in Edinburgh face paying up to 6 a gallon, with some garages now routinely charging up to 1.30 for a litre of unleaded, even before today's price hike.

Motorists used yesterday's bank holiday to fill up their tanks, causing supplies to run out in some parts of the city.

A survey by the Evening News found the price of a litre of unleaded ranging from 119p to 129.9p, with many garages expecting to add an extra 2p per litre today.

The cost of diesel ranged from 122p per litre to 131.9p.

Drivers are already paying record prices at the pumps, with a new government fuel duty putting 0.76p on the price of a litre of petrol and diesel.

Today sees an increase in VAT to 20 per cent, which will mean pump prices go up again.

One of the cheapest filling stations, Sainsbury's at Murrayfield, saw supplies run out yesterday afternoon.

A member of staff at the filling station, where unleaded is expected to rise from 119p to 122p today, said yesterday: "At the moment we don't have any of the grades. We're expecting another delivery in, but we're among the cheapest in the city, so we have been busy since Sunday night due to the VAT increase."

Ahead of the VAT increase, AA figures showed a litre of petrol costing an average of 123.98p a litre, with diesel at 128.2p a litre. This time last year petrol was at 107.74p a litre and diesel at 109.46p.

The AA has estimated that motorists are spending almost 10 million more a day on petrol than this time a year ago.

Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "It is a bleak mid-winter for motorists with already record petrol prices set to rise significantly with the fuel duty and VAT increases. That won't be the end of it with more increases in fuel duty already scheduled for April.

"Given that each penny increase in fuel duty raises about an extra 500m for the Exchequer, it is easy to see why the Chancellor is tempted to hike rates. But if the nation's 34 million motorists are pushed too far they will drive less and the Treasury could actually see their tax take fall."

Raymond Davidson, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Association, said drivers were now paying around 60 to fill their tanks a couple of times a week.

He said: "It's the most expensive it's ever been to run a taxi in Edinburgh, without any shadow of a doubt.

"Christmas has been very, very lean for us and the VAT increase is not going to help."

PRICE AT THE PUMPS

Among the most expensive

Shell, Craigleith Road

Unleaded per litre

124.9p (Mon)/126.9p (Tue)

Diesel per litre

129.9p (Mon)/131.9p (Tue)

BP, Barclay Place

Unleaded 127.9p

Diesel 131.9p

BP, Ratcliffe Terrace

Unleaded 129.9p

Diesel 131.9p

Among the cheapest

Sainsbury's Murrayfield

Unleaded 119p/122p

Diesel 122p/126p

Sainsburys, Blackhall

Unleaded 119.9p/121.9p

Diesel 123.9p/125.9p