Published: Sunday, 12th October, 2008 12:00
No ASDA fuels high oil prices
By Judith Green
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MOTORISTS could be paying up to 3p per litre more for their petrol, new figures have revealed.
Despite a global drop in oil prices, drivers in Bracknell may be subsidising lower petrol costs for people in areas such as Lower Earley.
Figures compiled by the AA show new towns such as Bracknell could be paying more than the national average because there is no market leader like ASDA there, which has a national pricing policy set at 105.9p per litre for petrol and 116.9p for diesel.
Bracknell petrol stations are currently charging 109.9p for petrol, 4p more than ASDA, and 121.9p for diesel, which is 5p more.
Newer towns like Bracknell are at risk of paying more for their petrol because they have a less established infrastructure to deal with any shifts in global prices and have less room for expanding the number of petrol stations.
The nearest ASDA to Bracknell is in Lower Earley.
An AA spokesman said: “The problem is made worse because there is no local aggressive competition in the form of a big chain such as ASDA which can afford to slash its prices, and so there is an artificial ceiling of prices.
“If the situation does not change there is a real fear that drivers in Bracknell may be subsidising lower petrol prices in Lower Earley.
“Obviously motorists are angry about this because they can’t understand why they have to pay the cost of there not being an ASDA in Bracknell.”
ASDA is seen as the market leader in petrol prices as it sets the lowest price among all petrol providers including supermarkets and companies such as Shell.
Across the country other towns feeling the pinch of rising petrol prices have taken direct action, most recently in Stranraer where the MP met with Tesco’s chief executive Sir Terry Leahy to tackle the issue and get petrol stations to slash their prices.
But Sainsbury’s Bagshot Road deputy manager Phil Farmer said: “I do not really wish to comment on this but all I will say is that we set our petrol prices competitively against other companies in the area to offer the best value for out customers.”
A BP spokesman also confirmed it sets its prices against other petrol stations in the area.
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