Joy for motorists as petrol prices fall

Motorists across the Black Country and Staffordshire were cashing in at the pumps today as retailers launched a petrol price war in response to the falling cost of oil.

Supermarket giant Morrisons sparked the battle yesterday by announcing it was cutting the price of fuel by 3p a litre across all 285 of its stations nationwide. Morrisons on the Black Country Route in Bilston dropped its prices at 5pm yesterday. The cost of unleaded petrol fell from 110.9p to 107.9p and diesel from 121.9p to 118.9p.

Rival supermarket Asda has also slashed prices at the forecourts, with BP, Shell and Esso vowing to follow suit.

Asda cut its fuel prices to 106.9p a litre for unleaded and 118.9p for diesel. BP said it would be dropping its prices by as much as 3p a litre at most of its company-owned sites across the country.

The fuel giant supplies Wolverhampton supermarkets Waitrose, in Marston Road, Blakenhall, and Somerfield, on Cannock Road, Springfield, both of which said today they were expecting price cuts. The price of unleaded at Waitrose was 112.9p today and diesel was 124.9p.

The Shell Bluecoat Garage, in Springhill Road, Walsall, was today selling unleaded for 109.9p and diesel for 120.0p. Colwich Filling Station, on the A51 near Stafford, was offering unleaded at 109.9p a litre and diesel at 119.9p.

In Cannock, both Sainsbury's, in Voyager Drive, and the Shell garage on Watling Street, were selling unleaded petrol at 109.9p and diesel at 120.9p.

Pices at Tesco Express in Highland Road, Dudley, have dropped by 1p in the past few days to 109.9p for unleaded and 120.9 for diesel. According to the AA, the average price of petrol at the pumps is now 112.87p for unleaded and 124.21 for diesel.

BP in Birmingham Road, West Bromwich, was today selling unleaded at 109.9p and diesel at 122.9p.

But AA president Edmund King said prices were still 2p higher than they should be.