The AA has added to calls for the Government to step in to lower petrol prices as it accused retailers of charging more than they should.
AA president Edmund King described forecourt prices, which reached a record UK average of 199.1p per litre on Saturday, as 'pump fiction'. Fuel costs for motorists have continued to rise despite wholesale petrol costs being 5p per litre less than in early June.
In a nod to Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 dark comedy/crime film Pulp Fiction, Mr King said: “Pump prices are now more like ‘pump fiction’ as they don’t reflect the general downward trends we have been seeing in wholesale prices.
Read more : RAC accuses petrol stations of not passing price drop to customers
“This is now an urgent situation. The Prime Minister has hinted at action but we need more than hints. Pressure to force price transparency and a cut in duty would be a step in the right direction.”
Mr King's words echo what the RAC has also said. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams says the RAC "strongly hopes" pump prices have reached a peak and will start to drop, in line with wholesale prices.
A 5p per litre reduction in fuel duty implemented by the Treasury in March has not stopped pump prices from soaring. Data from Experian shows the average price on Monday was 191.1p per litre, up a fraction of a penny from the previous day.
Earlier this month, the Competition and Markets Authority launched a “short and focused review” of how much drivers are being charged for fuel after a request by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.
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