UK Petrol prices stabilise

AVERAGE petrol prices have stabilised around the 112p-a-litre mark for a month, despite a 2p fall in the wholesale cost.

Yesterday, the Automobile Association said diesel prices had also stagnated at around 113.84p a litre.

According to the latest report, supermarkets had been slow to lower prices, but some were now offering a litre of petrol at a price below 110p.

However, some motorway service areas were charging almost 120p a litre.

The cheapest petrol to be found at present is in Yorkshire and Humberside, where it costs an average of 110.9p a litre. The most expensive is in Northern Ireland at an average of 113.5p a litre.

AA president Edmund King said: "Time will tell the extent to which the general reputation of supermarkets as the place for cheapest fuel has been dented in recent weeks.

"We know from our research that 1.10 a litre is when driver tolerance of higher fuel prices begins to evaporate, and 1.12 may have been sufficient for many car owners to reconsider who they buy their fuel from."

He added: "The AA fears that the recent fall in the wholesale price is only a brief respite."