Petrol prices 'put UK off driving'

06/10/11

By Emma McFarnon

Petrol sales have dropped 5 per cent, indicating that spiralling fuel prices are forcing motorists to cut back on driving.

Households appear to be feeling the strain of record fuel prices, which have seen petrol peak at 137.43p a litre and diesel at 143.04p.

The January to June sales slump gathered pace as the months went by - the 3.9 per cent fall in the first three months accelerated to a 6.6 per cent drop in the second quarter.

The total sales fall equates to 517.2 million litres of petrol, the AA motoring organisation said.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said many car owners cannot afford the price of petrol, and are "losing mobility as a consequence".

"There is no downplaying the impact of record fuel prices on family and other people's lives," he said.

The study also indicated that supermarkets have been resilient against the fall - while petrol sales at non-supermarket retailers plummeted 11.8 per cent, supermarkets boasted a 0.4 per cent increase thanks to their competitive prices.