Residents feel they have no choice but to pay the high fuel prices, which are having a crippling effect on low-income households, those in rural areas, and businesses. The AA has called upon the government to cut fuel duty by 10p per litre and introduce a fuel stabiliser.
It now costs £100 to fill the average car with petrol, and this stabiliser would work by reducing fuel duty when prices go up and increasing it when prices drop. Stabilising prices would provide drivers with more certainty, and the government is also being asked to introduce a national fuel price checker to stop the post code lottery when it comes to rip-off prices for fuel.
A similar system works well in Northern Ireland, where both petrol and diesel is 6p per litre cheaper than the rest of the UK. Edmund King, AA president, said: "Enough it enough. The government must act urgently to reduce the record fuel prices which are crippling the lives of those on lower incomes, rural areas and businesses.
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He continued: "A fuel stabiliser is a fair means for the Treasury to help regulate the pump price but alongside this they need to bring in more fuel transparency to stop the daily rip-offs at the pumps. The £100 tank is not sustainable with the general cost of living crisis so the underlying issues need to be addressed urgently.”
The high prices of fuel mean many residents are choosing not to fully fill their tanks. Retired, Emily, 69, of Newark, said: "I just put £60 in mine this morning. It's awful.
Emily added: "You don't like paying the price but what can we do. If you want to go around in your car you have no choice but to pay." Retired, Ken Churcher, 74 and semi-retired, Andrea Harker, 67, both of Newark, are also unhappy with the rising fuel costs, which Ken described as "getting ridiculous."
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Andrea explained that when she was working she would have paid about £60 and had enough fuel for a week of work, but with these prices "it would have more or less doubled." She said: "If you have to go out and you have to work you have no choice."
Ken added: "The more we pay the more the government get because of VAT." Commercial manager, Christian Trentini, 39, of Newark, said: "I don't travel as much as I used to as I work from home. It is what it is I suppose."
Electrical engineer, Mark Appleyard, 49, of Newark, said: "I'm quite lucky as I have an electric car. It's still a fraction of the price of running a petrol car." When asked if he thought more people should swap to an electric car, Mark said: "If you can put up with a little bit of hassle, it's good value, but charging away from home is still expensive."
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Retired, Martin Capenhurst, 67, of Newark, said: "I'm selling my car because of it; It does 24 to the gallon. It's costing me over £600 road tax and with the cost of fuel now I can't afford to run it so I'm getting rid of it.
Martin continued: "To fill mine up it would cost me about £140 for a full tank. It does have autogas but everyone is stopping that as there is not enough profit in autogas.
"There's no reason for it and nobody can give us a reason why. We have people now that can't afford to go to work." Martin added.
A recent AA poll of 14,467 drivers found that 2% of low income households will have to sell their car and not replace it. Whereas 23% of low income drivers are buying less fuel for their car and 11% are choosing to use public transport instead.
