A new unpleasant routine began at Bilal Naim’s gas station in sleepy Dachet, Berkshire. Almost every day someone will pull, fill and scream without paying. “The crime rate has been staggering since fuel prices have risen,” Naim said, trembling. “A client showed me a post on a local Facebook group telling people that they get a £ 50 fine just for driving without paying. That’s £ 50 free petrol now. ” One theft could ruin his fuel gains for the day, he says.
Gas station thefts have become an increasingly common sight in recent weeks amid record prices for petrol and diesel. The secular stuffing ritual has become a source of anger and frustration for drivers as bright red neon price figures click quickly along the road. Charging an average family car now costs more than £ 100.
Naeem’s gas station is a few miles from Staines, which has one of the biggest price differences between neighboring sites in the South of England. Data from PetrolPrices.com show that there is a difference of 11 pence per liter between the cheapest and most expensive stations.
Bilal Naim, manager of Murco in Datchet, Berkshire. Photo: Martin Godwin / Guardian
The government has promised to target “robbed” gas stations. Retailers have been accused of profiteering and failing to pass on a 5-pence reduction to the fuel duty announced in a spring statement in March. At the request of Business Secretary Quasi Quarteng, the Competition and Markets Office has launched a “brief and focused” review of the sector, to be reported on 7 July.
For their part, retailers blame the weakening pound against the dollar, rising oil prices and record margins collected by sought-after refineries for rising prices.
Naeem is not impressed with the profit proposals. It crashes into your smartphone’s calculator as we look at the cost of 194 pence per liter of diesel: 159.1 pence for wholesale fuel, then 31.8 pence extra with VAT. “I usually do 2p / 3p per liter. Do you think I’m robbing them? ”
After a midnight price update, its diesel is already pushing the brutal mark of £ 2 at 198.9 pa liters, with unleaded at 192.9 pence.
Viktor Bednarski delivers fuel to a tank. Photo: Martin Godwin / Guardian
In Shell’s garage around the corner from Staines Station, the experienced Yoga Saba supervisor overlooks the sparse front yard where a lone Toyota is being loaded. “It’s definitely quieter right now,” he said. “Customers usually come and refuel with £ 10. Now we see people paying £ 5 or even £ 3. Here the diesel is 195.9p and unleaded 186.9p.
While we chat at the counter, Victor Bednarski stops in his shiny white tanker, which carries about 37,000 liters of fuel. It usually delivers the entire batch to one station, but increasingly divides smaller deliveries between two. Bednarski, who works for the logistics company Hoyer Group, says it has become difficult to even get into some stations. “People started buying panic a few weeks ago. I was trying to get access to a gas station in north London. I couldn’t leave the car unattended, so I had to scream to get the cars away so I could get them some fuel.
The Asda station in Staines sells its fuel significantly cheaper than its close competitors. Photo: Martin Godwin / Guardian
He added: “People keep asking me about prices, but this is a global market. This affects everyone. People still have to go to school and work. So you have to buy gasoline. It’s good in a way that the government is trying to do something, if someone takes advantage of all this, it’s a shame. “
On the other side of town, the front of the Mini Asda petrol station is lively and you can see why: the diesel is 190.7pa liters, the petrol 182.7p. It has been speculated that Asda – once known as a leader in fuel prices – has withdrawn from its price-cutting promotions. But sales assistant Rishu Rajput seems confident that Asda remains the cheapest in Staines. “People know we’re the cheapest,” she says around Covid’s screen on the counter. “People are checking prices and we’re definitely cheaper than Sainsbury on the road.” Turning to its competitor confirms this: diesel is 191.9p and petrol is 182.9p. “We look at the prices carefully and we usually come here,” said one Asda buyer.
The Esso (196.9p diesel, 185.9p lead-free) employee says groceries remain king in this city. “It’s cheaper in the supermarket. But people understand that everything costs more at a gas station on a busy road. Look at this car, ”he says, pointing to the crowded shelves. “It’s £ 1.29 here and 85 pennies in the supermarket. And all prices are rising too. “
At Datchet, Naeem says his efforts are now focused on selling food and drinks from the store. He reiterated the call of the car groups to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to intervene and reduce fuel tariffs. “They have to cut shifts again. At these prices, people cannot afford it. If they can’t fill up, they can’t go to work. ”
Gas station with a view
Lynn and Tom Hunter at their gas station and shop in Port Charlotte on the Isle of Isle, Scotland. Photo: Lynn and Tom Hunter
“We try to be fair and reasonable to our customers while making a margin that keeps us afloat,” said Lynn Hunter, who sells gasoline on Isle Island with her husband, Tom.
The hunters run the combined post office, shop and petrol station in the village of Port Charlotte on the picturesque island off the west coast of Scotland. Drivers who stop to fill up enjoy a more eye-catching view than most roadside stops, with the midnight blue waters of Loch Indaal stretching across the horizon.
A shipment of fuel comes with the two-hour ferry once a week to supply the five gas stations with one pump on the big island.
In recent weeks, Hunters have been struggling to shift the jump in wholesale fuel costs to loyal customers. “We’re doing everything we can to reduce the cost to our neighbors,” says Lynn. Tom says that when a new order arrives at a higher price, the store continues to sell at the previous price until its relatively small tanks are emptied of fuel purchased at the previous price.
Lynn took his head out of the store during our interview to check the price of the pump, which informed passing motorists that a liter of diesel would return them to 186.9 pence, while gasoline was 188.9 pence. Their spending has jumped by about 30 pence in just over a month.
The couple moved from Falkirk with their older children four years ago to live upstairs and run the small shop. Lynn works part-time for a large consulting firm and runs the store with Tom, a former truck driver. Their diverse clientele includes those who come to fill tractors and quadricycles.
They believe their customers are more resilient than most, as they are accustomed to complex logistics, making basic basic products more scarce and expensive on the island.
But they were not impressed by claims that many gasoline retailers were making money during the energy crisis. “The problem is that everyone is smeared with the same brush. There will be some stations that sell in one day what we do in one year. It’s like comparing cabbage and orange, “says Lynn.
Tom added: “There are petrol stations on the mainland where they have to wear a mask and carry a few guns because they rob people. But people are a law unto themselves and can be too lazy or stupid to get off the highway to look for cheaper fuel. ”
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