MOTORISTS in Burton and South Derbyshire are set to reap the benefits of a new petrol price war.
Sainsbury’s, in Civic Way, Swadlincote, fired the first shot by cutting 4p a litre off petrol and 3p a litre off diesel with the move set to force rivals Morrisons, with forecourts in Wellington Road, Burton, and Sir Herbert Wragg Way, Swadlincote, and Tesco, off St Peter’s Bridge, to follow suit today.
Asda closely followed its rival by announcing a cut of 3p a litre off petrol and 2p a litre off diesel.
The news comes after the average price of unleaded tipped 139.9p and 146.38p for diesel yesterday.
Sainsbury’s head of fuel Richard Crampton said: “We know that fuel is a big part of many customers’ weekly budget so we’re keen to do anything we can to help.”
Andy Peake, petrol trading director at Asda, said: “We always aim to be the first retailer in each part of the country to drop prices when costs are falling and the last to put them up.
“When we do drop prices, we drop them everywhere, setting a maximum national price cap for our customer, which means they all benefit from our low prices, regardless of where they live.”
In Burton, the cheapest unleaded is currently available at Morrisons, in Wellington Road, costing 138.9p a litre, with the cheapest diesel also available at Morrisons for 145.9p a litre.
In South Derbyshire, diesel currently costs 144.9p a litre at the Total garage, in Burton Road, Woodville, while unleaded costs 136.9p at Sainsbury’s, in Civic Way, Swadlincote.
The AA said although the news was a boost for drivers, prices were still higher than in 2010.
A spokesman told the Mail: “The average wage hasn’t risen to compensate for this and motorists are still being heavily hammered.”
More information on prices in the area is available at www.petrolprices.com
