Any business motoring around the roads of the UK at the moment must be feeling the squeeze of rising fuel prices, writes Craig McGinty.
And it is these increases that the AA is keen to investigate further, with the organisation saying it wants to work with partners in Europe and approach the EU competition commissioner to press for greater price transparency.
Edmund King, the AA's president, said: "Our main beef this month is with pump and wholesale petrol prices at record levels yet oil substantially cheaper than in 2008 when wholesale petrol last peaked.
"With oil and wholesale fuel both traded in dollars, exchange rates are not a factor. Someone seems to be making substantially more money from lower raw material costs and it is time the drains were pulled up on the fuel market."
The AA claims that compared to a year ago, a typical 50-litre tank refill now costs £7.46 more for petrol and £10.05 more for diesel.
A couple of weeks ago fuel prices in Europe were at their highest despite oil being at least $25 a barrel cheaper than at the previous wholesale price peak in July 2008.
And the AA says that now is the time for greater transparency in the way fuel is priced, to help both consumers and businesses, and to bring the UK in line with the USA, Australia and South East Asia.
Interestingly, the AA and Edmund King might want to take a look over the Channel to see how French drivers are informed about fuel prices.
The Prix des Carburants en France site is run by the French government and collects data from thousands of filling stations across the country.
You can start your search via postcode, with the results displaying the name of the filling stations and supermarkets closest to your chosen location and the individual prices per litre.
If you register for an account with the site you can track prices over time.
Comments