Eastbourne and Willingdon MP Caroline Ansell has called for a ‘pump pricing watchdog’ as forecourt fuel prices remain much higher than its wholesale cost.
Caroline has joined with colleagues to call on the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in a letter to act over concerns that profiteering is taking place at forecourts.
In Eastbourne, motorists are paying at least 10p more per litre for petrol and 3p to 10p more for diesel than the cheapest service station in Leicester.
Figures from FairFuelUk in the letter found that between October 10 and December 8 petrol prices fell just 3% but wholesale petrol dropped 22%
Drivers of diesel cars are potentially even worse off. Retail prices hardly changed in the same period yet its wholesale cost plunged 25%.
FairFuelUK said the price differential between petrol and diesel jumped a massive 400% from 5p/litre to 24p/litre.
“I share widespread concern that when wholesale fuel prices rise, forecourts pass on the cost immediately, but when they fall there is much less of a reduction,” said Caroline.
“The question must be why are all forecourts in our town more expensive than the cheapest place to fill up in Leicester when the wholesale price has fallen significantly?
“I am of the view that only a fuel watchdog will be able to iron out these discrepancies and ensure that motorists are not being hit by profiteering at the pumps.”
