MOTORING groups have hit out at petrol garages and the Government as drivers continue to face the pinch at the pump.

Across Dorset prices have increased in recent months and rates vary as widely as 6p per litre for both unleaded and diesel.

Many filling stations are above the current national average of £1.32 per litre of petrol, however cheaper offerings can also be found if looking in the right place.

Generally, supermarket forecourts are undercutting dedicated fuel retailers.

However, the AA has called on the industry to give drivers a fairer deal.

Oil prices this month have topped $85 a barrel, but prime minister Theresa May claimed drivers would see a 2p saving on prices after she froze fuel duty.

AA fuel price spokesman Luke Bosdet said this offer had in fact been scuppered by petrol retailers and suppliers adding their own 2p increase.

The pricing move, which experts describe as ‘rocket and feather’, is a cause for further frustration, according to Mr Bosdet.

“Pump prices waste no time in going up when wholesale costs rise,” he said. “But, when those costs fall away, any pump price reductions never seem to reflect the full saving.

“This has created a background trend of continually rising prices for the consumer - adding another 2p to a litre or £1 to a tank of petrol as the industry profits more from fuel.”

Mr Bosdet said it was “galling” to see that the Government’s freeze on fuel duty would not see any benefit for the country’s consumers as the industry “bumps up its profits”.

He added: “What drivers really need is a copy of Austrian fuel price transparency and competition, to shake up UK fuel retailers.

“Either that or a U-turn in the decision to cut electric vehicle grants so that more and more drivers can switch from petrol or diesel and escape this highway robbery once and for all.”

Fuel prices across areas of Dorset and the New Forest currently range by up to 6p per litre. There are significant price differences at garages that are just hundreds of yards away from each other.

A selection of rates across forecourts in the region from most expensive to cheapest include:

  • Shell, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch: Unleaded £1.35 per litre and diesel £1.40 per litre
  • Esso, Lyndhurst Road, Hinton Admiral: £1.35 and £1.40
  • Shell, Barrack Road, Christchurch: £1.34 and £1.40
  • Shell, Milford Road, Lymington: £1.34 and £1.40
  • BP, Leigh Road, Wimborne: £1.33 and £1.40
  • Esso, Castle Lane East, Bournemouth: £1.32 and £1.36
  • Esso, Barrack Road, Christchurch: £1.32 and £1.36
  • Tesco, Caird Avenue, New Milton: £1.30 and £1.35
  • Tesco, Riverside Avenue, Bournemouth: £1.29 and £1.34
  • Shell, Wimborne Road West, Wimborne: £1.28 and £1.38