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‘Shop around’ to get your fill

Fuel prices have fallen slightly in recent weeks but hard-pressed drivers in Dorset are still having to dig deep into their pockets to keep their cars on the road.

Yesterday the highest prices spotted on Bournemouth petrol station forecourts was 117p for a litre of unleaded fuel and 129.9p for diesel.

The lowest price in the area was 108.9p for unleaded petrol and 120.9p for diesel so it's still worth shopping around for the best deals.

Prices here remain higher than in other parts of the UK.

Recent statistics from petrol prices.com, the free fuel price comparison website, showed that the national average price of unleaded fuel had fallen every day for the past month, thanks to lower oil prices and competition between retailers.

However, recent price cuts have meant that the difference between the highest and lowest priced fuel is at its highest ever.

The price drops are the first significant reduction in the price of fuel since August 2006, when a supermarkets-sparked price war resulted in a 12.5p and 8p reduction in the cost of unleaded and diesel respec-tively between August and November.

The national average price of petrol peaked on July 18 at 119.5p for unleaded and 133p for diesel.

Petrolprices.com founder Brendan McLoughlin said: "With fuel prices changing on a daily basis there's never been a more important time to shop around for fuel.

"Motorists can actually help to lower fuel prices - if we choose the cheapest fuel the most expensive stations will be forced to drop their prices," he added.

Thursday's prices at the pumps

Asda, Canford Heath, Poole. Unleaded, 108.9p. Diesel, 120.9p
Tesco, Fleets Corner, Poole. Unleaded, 108.9p. Diesel, 121.9p
Tesco, Poole Road, Branksome. Unleaded 108.9p. Diesel 121.9p
BP, Wimborne Road, Wimborne. Unleaded 112.9p. Diesel 124.9p
Esso, Bath Road, Bournemouth. Unleaded 109.9p, Diesel 122.9p
Texaco, Charminster Road, Bournemouth. Unleaded 110.9p, Diesel 123.9p
BP, Castle Lane (near Tesco), Bournemouth. Unleaded 112.9p, Diesel 126.9p
BP, Harman's Cross. Unleaded 111.9p, Diesel 123.9p
Texaco, Sandford. Unleaded 110.9p, Diesel 122.9p
Esso, Hinton, Christchurch. Unleaded 114.9p, Diesel 125.9p

  • What are you paying for petrol?

    Comment below or text 80360, starting your message "BE".

    7:03am Friday 22nd August 2008

    Print   Email this   Comment
    Posted by: 2Much, New Forest on 7:22am Fri 22 Aug 08
    In Ringwood the cheapest is £123.9 for diesel, that's 10p cheaper than a few weeks ago..i still think it's too high though, basically because of tax. Small businesses will still be facing hefty fuel bills.
    Posted by: avocado, Christchurch on 10:02am Fri 22 Aug 08
    The fundamental cause of the price rise of petrol/oil is increasingly tight supply.
    Tax and profiteering add to the problem.

    Globally and geologically, we have had the 'low-hanging fruit', the easily recovered oil.

    As the cost of the recovery and the delivery of oil increases, so will the prices at the pump.
    Shopping around cannot alter this.

    The issue we face is our addiction to cheap petrol/oil.
    If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption.
    It's that simple and that difficult.

    Google 'Peak Oil'.
    Posted by: Christopher, Wallisdown & Winton West on 10:04am Fri 22 Aug 08
    Diesel is at £121.9, yet in France it has dropped even further from when I was over there to around €1.28, which is about £1.02p. Still the government taxation holding ours up.

    Posted by: GRIFF, Christchurch on 10:27am Fri 22 Aug 08
    It seems cheaper over Poole where it is around 108.9 to 109.9, Christchurch/Ringwoo
    d way it is averaging 112.9.

    No idea why but as I travel to Poole at least once a week I make sure I fill up over there.

    As Tesco quote, "Every little counts"..
    Posted by: snoff, Poole on 11:12am Fri 22 Aug 08
    avocado wrote:
    The fundamental cause of the price rise of petrol/oil is increasingly tight supply. Tax and profiteering add to the problem. Globally and geologically, we have had the 'low-hanging fruit', the easily recovered oil. As the cost of the recovery and the delivery of oil increases, so will the prices at the pump. Shopping around cannot alter this. The issue we face is our addiction to cheap petrol/oil. If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption. It's that simple and that difficult. Google 'Peak Oil'.
    Indeed, i have read previously the 'peak oil' report which makes uncomfortable reading, if true. It is essentially another opinion on he matter, but I think we will see (as we have started to for the past few years)a gradual shift to alternative fuels systems. In the meanwhile, prices will climb further, not just for fuel but also since oil is used in so many other parts of our lives, (manufacturing, food processing, etc), and with this we will be forced to adapt to survive.
    Posted by: laurie marsh, australia on 1:34pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    Remember a few years ago when diesel fuel was "the way to go" because it was so much cheaper?
    People bought diesel cars, trucks etc. and what happened?
    Look at the prices now!
    "Hint", buy shares in oil companies!
    I did a few years ago and all of the "spudded" wells got capped as not being "ecconomic" (yet!).
    There is an awful lot of oil still out there!
    Posted by: Christopher, Wallisdown & Winton West on 2:27pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    The Oil producing companies, and more so our government saw this when more and more diesel vehicles were being purchased. Ah, we will now up the diesel. I appreciate that it is in the main the OPEC people, but our government also has its taxes, hence the difference in price around Europe compared to the UK.

    Incidentally, Vegetable Oil was around the 50p - 60p mark, but when owners of diesel found that in older models one could use a bio oil such as Veg Oil, it has risen in price to over £2 a litre.

    I think I might join my friend and start collecting the Chip Shop and Chinese Shop left over oil.

    Posted by: Gastines, St.Malo ex Bournemouth on 4:52pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    But if the barrel price drops too much the Qatari's wont be able to bail out Sainsbury's and H.B.O.S, Barclay's etc.In a global market ,someones gain is someones loss. Pity Gordon.Brown hasn't woken up to the fact that UK is broke and stopped handing out cash to the Chinese to help with their Carbon Emissions etc. Governments only seem to think in 5year cycles so future planning is beyond them.
    Posted by: Alison, poole on 5:14pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    Get an Asda credit card and get a further 2p off a litre at an Asda petrol station!
    Posted by: Muffin burner on 5:40pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    Alison wrote:
    Get an Asda credit card and get a further 2p off a litre at an Asda petrol station!
    Sounds good, but is there an Asda petrol station around these parts?
    Posted by: Muffin burner on 6:21pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    Muffin burner wrote:
    Alison wrote:
    Get an Asda credit card and get a further 2p off a litre at an Asda petrol station!
    Sounds good, but is there an Asda petrol station around these parts?
    Silly me! There's Canford Heath. Depends how cheap it is though.
    Posted by: bob the lemming ratclif on 7:18pm Fri 22 Aug 08
    There is an awful lot of oil still out there!
    and an awful lot of awful australians in awful australia



    Report this post $1
    Posted by: laurie marsh, australia on 2:12pm Sat 23 Aug 08
    What is it like to live in a mental vacuum?
    Posted by: palexgo, earth on 5:12pm Sat 23 Aug 08
    avocado wrote:
    The fundamental cause of the price rise of petrol/oil is increasingly tight supply. Tax and profiteering add to the problem. Globally and geologically, we have had the 'low-hanging fruit', the easily recovered oil. As the cost of the recovery and the delivery of oil increases, so will the prices at the pump. Shopping around cannot alter this. The issue we face is our addiction to cheap petrol/oil. If we truly want to reduce our vulnerability to high prices, the best way to do so is to reduce consumption. It's that simple and that difficult. Google 'Peak Oil'.
    Your post is simply untrue. Consumption has not suddenly rocketed enough to justify a doubling in oil price per barrel in less than a year. In fact, consumption has increased by about 1%. Also, consumption is nowhere near potential production. Many middle-east countries could easily increase production by more than 5% if they wanted to. There is a problem with refining capacity but that's largely down to the incompetence of the oil companies.

    Economists are reluctantly admitting that it doesn't make sense and are, in increasing numbers, agreeing that recent increases in commodity, food and oil prices are the result of speculation.
    Posted by: Lesley Dedman, Ferndown on 5:00pm Sun 24 Aug 08
    why does this come up under East Dorset, filling up space where a real East Dorset story could be?
    Posted by: Mike Pickering, Bournemouth on 5:59pm Sun 24 Aug 08
    So, despite living on top of one of the largest onshore oil fields in europe, with drilling going on for years in Poole harbour, oil trains going through the town every day from Wytch farm, and a refinery just up the coast, we pay MORE for our petrol than people who live in places without these things.
    What a joke.
    Some people, somewhere, are getting very very rich and laughing in our faces, and we're paying for it.
    Life in the UK is an utter, utter scam and becoming more brazen by the day, noone has the nous to life their head up and realise what has happened to this once pleasant land.
    Get out while you're still young and fit enough.
    Posted by: Jake, Christchurch on 2:10pm Mon 25 Aug 08
    Whych Farm is off shore and has been in production for over twenty years and is rapidly coming to an end. North sea oil has a too higher sulphur content for todays greener society and is exported to countries who don't have such stringent pollution laws as we do. Life in the UK is anything but a scam, we have a taxation system that is based upon purchases rather than direct taxation from our earnings. (the more you spend the more you pay). Taxation has broadly remained the same fore the last sixty years (approx 40% of income across the board). Trust me as someone who has lived and worked abroad the grass is most definately not green on the other side.
    Posted by: Francoise Henon-Lees, Wimborne on 11:46am Thu 28 Aug 08
    If you go to the following website
    wwwDOTpetrolpricesDO
    Tcom
    You can sign up for a news letter which gives you the cheapest prices in your area or if you do not want the news letter you can do a search online.
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  • On Par Dorset - Summer 2008



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