Supermarket war slashes diesel cost

Leeds-based Asda announced yesterday it would cut prices by up to two pence a litre at its 234 filling stations, prompting Sainsbury’s and Tesco to follow suit. Morrisons said it would also cut diesel costs, but could not put a specific figure on the reduction. The price of unleaded petrol remains unchanged.

Asda’s petrol trading director, Andy Peake, said: “With this latest price cut, we’re now seeing the lowest diesel prices since February 2011. We’re giving our customers the opportunity to fill up their cars with lower-priced diesel, putting much needed cash back in their pockets.”

The RAC has been calling on fuel retailers to reduce diesel prices.

A spokesman said: “In the last year retailers have been noticeably quicker to pass on reductions in the wholesale price to forecourts, but we are now seeing an unfortunate blip in that trend where diesel prices are higher than they really need to be.

“There has been talk of retailers using higher diesel prices to keep petrol prices lower, but whether or not that’s the case, the simplest way to operate must be to make sure retail prices always reflect wholesale prices proportionately.”