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RURAL MOTORISTS SUFFER IN PETROL PRICE HIKE

Scots are paying some of the highest fuel prices in Britain

Tuesday November 20,2007

By Rod Mills

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(3)

SCOTTISH forecourts have joined the rest of the UK by breaking the £1 barrier for a litre of fuel.

Last week the UK average breached the psychological £1 barrier, but now experts have revealed Scots are paying some of the highest fuel prices in Britain.

The news comes days after prices south of the border peaked at a historic level as crude oil prices soared, and unrest in the Middle East once again escalated supply fears.

New data by internet price search site whatprice.co.uk shows the UK average for petrol is now 101.3p, while the Scottish average is 100.1p.

But the survey found Scots living in remote areas are facing a staggering £1.15 for a litre of petrol, as fuel costs continue to spiral out of control in remote areas.

Islanders on Lewis are being charged 115.9p at one garage for unlead petrol and diesel, with an island average of 113.8p, while Inverness forecourts are selling petrol at 106.4p per litre, and Isle of Skye garages an average 105.9p a litre.

Last night experts at whatprice.co.uk launched a petition to persuade the chancellor to introduce reduced fuel tax in rural areas - a move which could help rescue dozens of Scots communities.

Sheila Rainger, head of campaigns at the RAC Foundation, said: "The situation in Scotland is approaching a crisis.

"There is a Westminster bubble effect where the chancellor believes this issue affects just London and the South east.

"But in many places Scotland does not have the public transport infrastructure to offer a public transport alternative to using a car.

"This higher level of car dependency in communities applies in areas like the Western Isles, where the prices are at their highest.

"We can see a time when householders will be forced to cut down on travel, in order to be able to pay other household bills."

With householders already facing rising mortgage payments, chancellor Alistair Darling is considering a 2p rise in fuel duty next April.

With 50.4p already being charged on every £1 litre in duty, and 14.9p going on VAT, just 31p is left for production and delivery, and around 4p for the retailer.

Sheila Rainger added: "We were very disappointed that Alistair Darling chose to raise duty in October, despite rising prices. North Sea oil gives him a lot of breathing room to put a hold on tax, but he is not choosing to do that."

Dundee was revealed as the cheapest location in Scotland for petrol, at 98.9p.

Edinburgh and Glasgow were also at the lower end of the range with unleaded being sold for 99.5p and 99.7p.

Alistaur Taylor, a spokesman for www.whatprice.co.uk, said: " In the last few days we have seen oil reach the dizzy heights of $97 a barrel, and this is just piling the pressure on the forecourt prices.

"The next step may well be Unleaded going through £5 a gallon, which is around 110p/litre.

"Rural areas, especially remote areas like Scotland, are worst affected by these rises, which is why we're are launching a petition for the government to introduce tax breaks in these areas."

Yesterdays prices by Scottish area for unleaded:

Dundee (cheapest) - 98.9p

Edinburgh - 99.5p

Glasgow - 99.7p

Inverness - 105.1p

Isle of Lewis - 113.4p

And for Diesel

Dundee - 101.0p

Edinburgh - 101.1p

Aberdeen - 101.3p

Glasgow - 101.3p

Inverness - 106.4p

Isle of Lewis - 113.8p

Scotland average 100.1p

North England 100.7p

Midlands 101.5p

Wales 102.0p

South West 102.0p

South East 102.1p

London 102.2p

MIND YOU...

20.11.07, 1:02pm

the motor industry are partly to blame for the rise of the tree huggers. Why build cars that go nearly 200mph for a country with a 70mph speed limit? Why build family cars with 3-4 litre engines with brake horsepower that could pull a lorry and do less than 20mpg when there are family cars with 1300 cc engines, cruise at 80 and return nearly 50mpg?

Why are acceleration figures of 0-60 so important nowadays rather than selling the car on its reliability and fuel economy?

I'm not suggesting that we all drive Morris Minor type cars like granddads with cap and gloves but all the adverts for cars nowadays show them as glamorous pussy magnets that fly along the road overtaking every other car on the road.

• Posted by: Zeigfreid • Report Comment

IT'S THE SAME OLD THING

20.11.07, 12:43pm

Everything is all geared up for townies, congestion charges, four by four penalties, the highest tax on fuel in the whole world. It is all right for the commies in the tower blocks to dictate to the rest of the country but what about the silent majority of British folk who just want to have the freedom to travel anywhere in the country without paying through the nose for it.

You cannot un-invent the car. It is with us all and it's sense of freedom that it gives us. I think that Red Ken and all the other lefties would want us all to be like the Amish. If you invented a car tomorrow that gave absolute zero emissions, the commies would still insist that we walk, cycle, use rail or buses for our journeys.

• Posted by: Zeigfreid • Report Comment

THIS IS RIDICULOUS

20.11.07, 8:05am

It is time the Government intervened and did something constructive about these ridiculous prices. It isn't just a problem in Scotland, here in rural North Yorkshire we have just one bus a day in the village which means young and old must use cars. Some of the property in the village is specifically for disabled, who because of these inflated costs are now having to be very careful as to when they go out, and some of whom are having their lives extremely limited by petrol prices.
Now I'm not suggesting that anyone should have preferential treatment but surely when anyone's standard of living is affected it is time to take action?

• Posted by: oldhippie • Report Comment