Hard-pressed West Country motorists received some welcome respite today after three of the nation's biggest supermarkets announced significant fuel-price cuts.
Sainsbury's said that from today, petrol prices at the company's 279 forecourts will dip by 4p a litre, with diesel being reduced by 3p a litre. Asda said that it would be cutting its petrol by up to 3p a litre and its diesel by up to 2p a litre, ensuring motorists would pay no more than 134.7p a litre for petrol and 141.7p a litre for diesel. And Tesco also announced it was cutting the price of both petrol and diesel by 3p. The cuts will be good news for drivers in rural parts of the region, where forecourt prices tend to be higher than in towns and cities. The Chancellor, George Osborne, has been under increasing pressure to reduce fuel duty in the Budget next week.
Sainsbury's head of fuel, Richard Crampton, said: "We know that fuel is a big part of many customers' budgets so we're keen to help."
Andy Peake, Asda's petrol trading director, said: "When we drop prices, we drop them everywhere, setting a maximum price cap for our customers, which means they all benefit regardless of where they live."
Peter Cattell, of Tesco, said yesterday: "Tesco is dropping the price of both petrol and diesel by up to 3p per litre from tomorrow morning. "
