Motorists still miss out on savings from fall in the price of crude oil

DRIVERS are still seeing little benefit at the pumps from falls in crude oil prices, with those in Scotland paying among the most in Britain for diesel, the Automobile Association reported today.

A 7 per cent drop in the value of the pound against the dollar since August has denied drivers the possibility of a 2p per litre price cut in petrol, the motoring organisation said.

Prices dipped some 1.5p last month but have climbed again to leave petrol and diesel prices within a fraction of their all-time high in May.

The AA said this had come despite a fall of more than 10 per cent in the market prices of crude oil.

Its monthly price survey showed the UK average cost of unleaded on Monday was 135.61p – 0.1p less than a month ago.

The Scottish average was a touch lower, at 135.4p, down 0.4p. Diesel across the UK averaged 139.62p, down 0.27p, but it was 140.1p in Scotland – down 0.4p but jointly the most expensive with Northern Ireland.

In early May, petrol hit the all-time high of 137.43p and diesel 143.04p.

AA president Edmund King said: “UK families remain hostage to fuel price movements that buck traditional trends, and oil prices that don’t even make sense to experts in the market.” Compared to a year ago the AA estimates £12.6 million a day is being “siphoned” away from the high street and other spending into fuel sales.

A year ago, petrol averaged 115.07p a litre and diesel 117.54p, meaning a typical 50-litre tank now costs £10.27 more to fill.

A school run of just 1.5 miles is costing £40 a year more, the AA added. Last month, it emerged that more than a quarter of motorists are restricting the amount they spend filling up their car due to exorbitant fuel costs.

The less well-off are hit the hardest, the report revealed, with more than four in ten of those at the bottom of the economic ladder setting a maximum spending limit.

But cutting back on the amount of petrol motorists put into their cars has led to a spike in the number of people who run out of fuel while driving.