Petrol stations shut down in their droves to hit record low

THE number of filling stations in the UK has fallen to a record low, a new report has revealed.

According to the Energy Institute (EI) there are now fewer than a quarter of the stations that existed in the late 1960s.

While the number in Scotland has increased slightly, there are fears for the future of supplies in remote and rural areas.

The survey shows the number of UK forecourts rose slightly to 9,283 in 2008, but by the end of 2009 had dropped to a new low of 9,013. This compares with the all-time record of 39,958 in 1967.

With car ownership continuing to rise, each forecourt now has to supply, on average, 3,795 vehicles. The study showed that by the end of 2009, petrol sales totalled 16.29 million tonnes – a fall of 383,000 tonnes at the end of 2008.

Diesel sales fell 217,000 tonnes to 12.65 million tonnes and the total 2009 road fuel sales decreased to just over 37 million tonnes – a fall of 901,000 tonnes on 2008.

At the same time, registered UK vehicles reached a new all-time high in 2009 of 34.21 million.

Supermarket filling sites increased last year by 12 to 1,271 and oil company sites decreased by 64 to 5,582. The five largest oil company operations by number of branded forecourts were BP (1,179 forecourts), Texaco (999), Shell (930), Esso (900), and Total (818).

A spokesman for the EI said: "The number of fuelling points at forecourts is growing but these statistics show a steady drop in fuel sales despite a continued rise in the number of registered vehicles on the road.

"High fuel prices can play an important factor in reducing demand, but this can also be the result of improvements in vehicle technology, and a change in driver behaviour as public interest in energy and climate change increases against a backdrop of continued economic challenges."

The number of filling stations in Scotland increased from 946 in 2008 to 973 last year.

But Ian Ross, chairman of Highland Council's planning, environment and development committee, said this did not reflect the position in rural areas.

A recent report for the council showed that, over the last 13 years, nearly 170 forecourts have closed in the region and more than 100 are set to shut in the next decade.

"This is a major issue," said Mr Ross. "There are communities at the moment in the Highlands where you have a 25-30 mile round trip just to fill up with petrol or diesel."

"There is a fundamental concern about the viability and sustainability of rural communities. There is also a concern about the perception tourists have that it is difficult to get fuel in the rural area of the Highlands.

"We are not there yet but if there is a further loss of filling stations that may become so. The council's view is there is a need to support a strategic network of fuel stations."