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‘Morrisons could help lower prices’
An investigation into unfair charging for fuel has ruled that it will not hold an inquiry into price fixing.
But a report by the Office Of Fair Trading (OFT) said that towns with a range of supermarkets tended to have cheaper fuel prices.
Drivers in Bedford, which currently has eight Tesco, two Sainsbury’s and a Waitrose store, pay on average £40 a year more for fuel than drivers in Luton which has a greater range of supermarkets.
This week, MP for Bedford and Kempston Richard Fuller expressed disapointment that the OFT is not going to investigate price fixing further, but said that Bedford Borough Council could use the information to help drivers in Bedford.
He said: “If the OFT are not going to take it further they have at least paved a way to help reduce prices. What this says is that having a Morrisons or Asda would have a reasonably significant impact.
“This is real food for thought to see what the council could do for local competition.”
Plans are in place for Morrisson’s supermarket in Ampthill Road, which would sell fuel. And Dave Hodgson, the Mayor of Bedford claimed that this could help to alieviate high fuel prices.
He said: “We are doing what we can, and Morrisons will help. We will do some new assesment and will keep the pressure up on the others to drive the prices down.
“Morrissions historically is competitive and I can’t see how petrol can be more expensinsive here than in Ampthill, Luton or Northampton.
“The cost of bringing it to Bedford is not 5p a litre more expensive.”
Fuel duty was frozen by the government at the last budget, and this newspaper and the national Petrol Promise campaign will be lobbying for it to be frozen again at the next budget in September.
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Weather for Bedford
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
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