An MP has accused petrol stations of “little more than profiteering” in a letter to the Competitions and Markets Authority.
Simon Fell, the MP for Barrow and Furness, wrote to the authority yesterday.
In his letter, he said that at 2pm on June 15 the average price of petrol at Tesco, Morrisons and Asda in Barrow was 181.6p per litre.
By comparison, the price at Barrow’s Shell garage for petrol was 195.9p per litre, a 14.3p per litre difference.
He added that the Shell garage in Ulverston priced petrol lower at 184.9p per litre.
Simon said: “I do recognise that pump prices are governed by a wide range of factors – from the price that the fuel in the pumps was bought at, to the ability to meet demand. However, a good number of my constituents have approached me directly about this issue, very concerned that they are not being sold fuel at fair prices. I would tend to agree with them.
“I met with the Secretary of State about this issue last week and am raising this issue with the Competition and Markets Authority now to ensure that people across Furness are being charged fair prices.”
Referencing the difference in prices at the pumps recorded by his office between March 10 and June 15 he said he understands the peak difference as being almost 40 pence per litre.
He said: “It is hard to see a 39.2p differential as little more than profiteering.
“I hope that by bringing this matter to your attention that your office can investigate these vast differences in price per litre at the pumps, to ensure that the market is operating well and that the discount offered by the government has been passed on to the consumer.
“I don’t think that anyone begrudges organisations making a profit. But that has to be fair, and reasonable. Right now households are really feeling the pressure of the cost of living, and putting fuel in our cars is a huge contributor to that pressure. With that in mind, I’m calling on all fuel stations in Barrow and Furness to set their prices at a fair and affordable rate per litre.”
