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Drivers queue more than a mile for UK’s ‘cheapest petrol station’ at 164.9p a litre
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BRITAIN'S cheapest petrol stations saw mile long tailbacks yesterday as motorists queued to fill up at 164.9p a litre - 20p less than the national average.
Drivers waited from 6am to use the bargain pumps at a department store in Newton Abbot, Devon.
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Outlet Trago Mills deployed security guards to marshall snaking queues at the filling station, as motorists waited over an hour.
The Shell filling station has undercut the national average of 190.65p for unleaded and 198.42p for diesel, according to the RAC fuel watch.
The average driver at the Newton Abbot department store paid less than £100 to fill up, paying 164.9p for unleaded 179.9p a litre for diesel.
Meanwhile at Texaco Lime service station in Walkden, Gtr Manchester prices were slashed sparking a queue of desperate drivers.
Some brought along jerry cans to take as much as they could, paying 185.9p for unleaded and 167.7p a litre for diesel.
It comes as fuel campaign groups have slammed oil companies and retailers for the snail pace drop in forecourt prices.
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Brian Gregory from the Alliance of British Drivers told The Sun: "These wholesalers and supermarkets are making stonking profits and these must be passed onto British drivers who are being fleeced at the forecourts.
"They must be regulated to stop this blatant profiteering, there is currently no way of pressuring retailers to reduce prices to a reasonable amount."
The AA said high petrol prices are partly down to supermarkets refusing to pass on the drop in wholesale petrol prices to the customer.
Luke Bodset of the AA told The Sun: "Supermarkets who are taking the savings and offering them in store and not at the pumps.
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"As fuel wholesale prices reduce then supermarkets should bring down their petrol prices, which would in turn make other fuel stations bring down their prices as well.
"If supermarkets decide not to bring down their pump prices as quickly as they could do then that means the others have no reason to do so.
"It keeps forecourt fuel prices high."
RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams added: “These are the cheapest fuel prices we've seen and are much more in line with what drivers should be being charged given the sharp falls in the wholesale prices of petrol and diesel.
“If we don’t see a significant supermarket cut in the next few days it will be nothing short of scandalous."
Yesterday fuming motorists told of their misery at the recent price hike at the pumps.
Retired Brian Barber, 72, from Torquay, said: “If these people can sell petrol, at these prices and make a profit it shows it can be done.
“It shows just how much profit is being made by these other petrol stations who are charging 20 or 30p a litre - they are just taking the mickey out of us drivers.”
Mother-of-three Sophie Ireland, 24, of Swinton, Gtr Manchester, added: "Petrol is nearly £2 a litre where I live.
“It’s been costing me an extra £30 a week, which is a big hit in the pocket, so it was well worth coming to this petrol station."
Britain's most expensive petrol station is a Gulf station in Chelsea, London, where drivers are charged £2.38 for unleaded.
Shell were approached for comment.
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How can I save money on fuel?
Drivers have been facing large fuel price increases over recent months - but there are way to save money.
But you don't have to drive around aimlessly looking for the cheapest deals - there are a range of websites and apps that will tell you nearby fuel prices based on where you live.
Fleet News and Allstar lets you to so you can see how your region compares to the UK average.
The app and website lets you check prices from more than 8,000 forecourts near you and using data provided by the public.
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Comparison website also has a petrol prices checker that lets registered users find petrol prices within a five, 10 or 25mile radius.
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Here are four easy ways to cut down your petrol bills by hundreds of pounds a year.
Plus, we round up six ways to make a tank of petrol last longer.
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