Cost Of Filling-Up Set For Surge

Global politics and a routine surge in demand brought on by the onset of winter is set to push fuel prices above the £1 per litre for diesel that has already been reached in many parts of the Province.

Northern Ireland motorists have been enjoying lower fuel prices over the last few weeks, but, as independent road safety organisation, the IAM Motoring Trust, reports, many parts of the UK have already seen prices go past £1, making it inevitable that the whole of Ulster will follow suit.

The growing crisis along the Turkisk/Iraq border – where Turkey is set to defy world opinion and send its troops into northern Iraq to counter a threat from Kurdish dissidents who have their base across the border, has exacerbated world conditions so that the price of Brent crude oil has risen to $$77 per barrel.

Low gasoline reserves in the US have also put pressure on fuel prices.

While nationally, unleaded petrol prices fell an average of 1p to 95.2p per litre during September and diesel prices also fell very slightly by 0.1p to 96.9p per litre, all these conditions taken together will see these prices set to rise.

Kevin Delaney from the IAM Motoring Trust said that Northern Ireland had yet to experience the rise, but that he was certain the increased prices would " filter through".

He said: "People in different parts of the mainland have already seen diesel prices sneak past the £1 barrier.

"It is inevitable that prices in Northern Ireland will rise.

"The price of diesel generally goes up in the winter, while the price of petrol goes down.

"This is largely due to the US. Also crude oil is generally becoming more expensive."

Currently the average price for unleaded petrol in south Belfast is 98.4p and the price of diesel has already hit 100.2p per litre.

Currently the UK has the sixth highest unleaded price in Europe and the second highest diesel price.

"It is quite possible that we could even see unleaded prices over a pound," Mr Delaney explained.

"It will take a little longer than diesel, but it is quite possible. Governments tend to enter into panic buying if there is an impending war or political instability in a region.”

(BMcC0