Rural drivers battered by more expensive fuel prices as supermarkets hike costs

Diesel drivers are also facing hefty prices, with a litre of fuel now costing more than £1.50 – the first time since May.

According to the AA, prices are rising again as a result of an increase in oil prices around the world.

While everyone is dealing with expensive fuel costs, drivers in rural areas are being hit the hardest.

Motorists in rural areas are paying, on average, between 10p and 15p per litre more for petrol at a supermarket filling station.

The AA said these drivers were paying around 145p a litre, compared to those in larger towns and cities who sometimes see costs as low as 135p.

The price disparity can even be seen on a local level, with differences of up to 6p per litre between neighbouring areas.

Luke Bosdet, the AA’s pump price spokesperson, highlighted that the Government and Competition and Markets Authority had called out newspapers for over-charging motorists.

However, petrol and diesel prices around the UK show that supermarkets are charging vastly different costs around the country.

He added: “Bad habits are proving hard to shake off among the UK’s fuel retailers and that is not solely the fault of the supermarkets.

“Over the decades, a supermarket policy of shaving a penny or two off what other local fuel stations charge has stunted competition within those higher-priced communities; oil company-branded forecourts could have undercut those expensive supermarkets but they were happy to play along.”

At the highest level of price disparity between rural and urban drivers, motorists could be paying around £6 more.

For the average family car with a 60-litre tank, urban drivers could be paying £81 for a full tank, while rural drivers could pay £87.

The RAC is predicting that prices are likely to rise for diesel, while petrol prices could stagnate in the coming days and weeks.

Generally, petrol and diesel costs in rural areas are more expensive because of the distance between the filling stations and the fuel terminals.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

• Electric scooters are 'risking the lives of the public' with urgent fire warning
• Unpopular ULEZ tax forcing hard-pressed drivers to sell their cars for cheap prices
• Petrol and diesel drivers face sixfold price increase in emissions-based parking charges

The Government has previously taken action to help rural drivers, as seen in 2015 when a 5p rural fuel duty cut was introduced for a number of communities cut off from the majority of services.