Supermarkets pushing up price of petrol on a DAILY basis, RAC claims

PETROL prices at the UK's four biggest supermarkets have been rising almost every day for three months.

Data from the RAC's Fuel Watch shows that Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have put prices up for 63 of the 68 days since February 21st – on the other five days prices stayed the same.

In the same time period other petrol stations managed to drop prices five separate times.

Even though supermarkets are still the cheapest place to fill up your car, prices have risen by 8.4 per cent, closing the gap with other retailers.

A litre of unleaded now costs 125.44p at the big four, compared with 128.35p on average.

Costs are rising thanks to increasing prices in the wholesale market, which are being passed onto consumers.

But the RAC says supermarkets are being unfair, passing on rises in the wholesale price but not dropping their costs when wholesale prices get cheaper.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “It is concerning to see the supermarkets, who many drivers trust to provide them with good value, putting up their prices when other smaller retailers have actually being fairer with their customers by more closely mirroring movements in the wholesale price.

“And, to make matters worse, this comes on top of the supermarkets – and retailers generally – not passing savings in the wholesale price of diesel back to drivers on the forecourt, perhaps in an effort to subsidise the price of petrol.

Asda told the Times: "Asda has been the cheapest UK-wide fuel provider week-in, week-out for the last five years.

"We work hard to always offer the lowest possible prices for our customers and are currently 3p per litre under the national average, as backed up by the RAC's fuel watch."

The Sun has asked Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons for a comment and will update this story if they respond.

Asda told The Times: "Asda has been the cheapest UK-wide fuel provider week-in, week-out for the last five years.

"We work hard to always offer the lowest possible prices for our customers and are currently 3p per litre under the national average, as backed up by the RAC's fuel watch."

The cheapest towns and cities in the UK to buy fuel revealed – with prices starting at £118.9p a litre.

Diesel drivers ‘paying more for fuel to subsidise petrol price rises’, AA claims.

Last month, furious MPs demanded new petrol price regulator after every UK driver is "fleeced of £208 at the pumps".

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