Thieves steal 1,000 litres of diesel in Harrogate‘How much?’ New Harrogate garage’s fuel price leaves motorists fumingAre petrol prices being pumped up for Ripon motorists?

Ripon motorists are paying up to 11.2 pence more per litre for unleaded petrol than their Harrogate counterparts, while those driving diesel cars, vans and lorries are paying on average 8 pence a litre more at the pump.

This morning, at the Morrisons Esso station on Harrogate Road a litre of unleaded was being sold at 179.9 pence.

But 12 miles away in Harrogate, Asda’s price for a litre of unleaded had reduced  to 168.7 pence.

It means a motorist adding 40 litres of unleaded fuel to their vehicle would pay an extra £4.48.

On Saturday the Morrisons petrol station in Harrogate was selling the cheapest unleaded in town at 170.4 pence per litre, but by contrast, the petrol station at its Ripon store site was charging 178.9.

Morrisons petrol station Harrogate Road Ripon

Morrisons’ Esso petrol station on Harrogate Road, Ripon, where a litre of unleaded was 11.2 pence more than Asda and 9.5 pence more than at its Harrogate store.

Ripon resident Stewart Readman, who contacted the Stray Ferret to point out the difference in prices, said:

“I have an app that gives details of petrol and diesel costs in the area and further afield and would have thought that at a time when some  people are struggling to get by, that the petrol station operators would be a bit more even-handed when they are in a position to reduce prices.”

When asked how it justifies the price difference between its petrol stations in Harrogate and Ripon, a spokesman for supermarket giant Morrisons, said:

“In the UK petrol prices vary from town to town and even neighbourhood to neighbourhood and we will always strive to be competitive in each local area.

“Occasionally this can mean price differences between different areas open up. We continually review our prices and will look to reduce this difference as soon as we can.”

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Harrogate fuel station breaks £2 a litre threshold for diesel

For the first time ever it now costs over £2 a litre to fill up with diesel at a fuel station in Harrogate.

A photo taken outside Texaco on Skipton Road reveals it is the place in the town to have broken the £2 barrier for diesel, with others in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon heading in the same direction.

Prices at the pump are rising due to increases in the cost of crude oil, which is used to make petrol and diesel.

Diesel in particular has jumped sharply over the last few days. Trade publication Rigzone blames the Russian invasion of Ukraine for a shortage of barrels across Europe this week.

This week’s rail strikes will also see more commuters using their cars which will increase demand and could push up prices.

This month it was announced that it now costs over £100 to fill up a 55-litre family car, which motoring body RAC called a “truly dark day” for motorists.

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Where is the cheapest place to fill up?

The website PetrolPrices publishes up-to-date fuel prices at sites across the country.

It says the cheapest place to fill up in Harrogate is at Asda where it’s currently 182.7p per litre of petrol and 190.7p for diesel.

In Knaresborough, it is Co-op Manse Road where petrol costs 188.9 per litre and diesel is 191.1p.

In Ripon petrol is cheapest at BP where it currently costs 188.9p per litre. Esso is the cheapest for diesel at 192.9p per litre.

How has the rise in fuel affected you or your business? email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk 

Fuel Watch: Harrogate district fuel problems persist

Fuel stations are trying to get back to normality across the Harrogate district amid reports that the crisis is slowing down.

Some forecourts remain closed but many are back up and running across the area. So we have created this live blog to help those in need find fuel.

Have you just been to fill up? Help other drivers in need by letting us know what the situation is like at your local petrol station.

Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your reports and we will add them to this rolling coverage throughout the day.

645pm – Reports of two stations open

Esso on Wetherby Road in Harrogate is open and we also hear the Texaco in Kirk Hammerton is operating but some pumps are not available.

3.50pm – Esso on Harrogate’s Skipton Road closed

Thanks to Ian for telling us the Esso garage on Skipton Road has closed.

Is the fuel supply issue easing today? The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents filling stations, says there are “early signs” of pressure at the pumps easing.

But Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association says “the situation is not getting better”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says soldiers could be driving fuel tankers “in the next couple of days”.

2.15pm – No queues at Morrisons in Boroughbridge

A reader tells us that Morrisons in Boroughbridge has plenty of all fuel and there are no queues. This is a key site for many motorists in the Harrogate district and has been the scene of lengthy queues in recent days. A sign of things getting back to normal?

Send us your updates from forecourts in Harrogate, Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham and anywhere in between.

1.20pm – Harrogate fuel stations working well

Our reporter has been out and about once again to get a view from the fuel stations across the town. There have been deliveries but some places have since run out of fuel.

12pm – BP in Harrogate set to reopen after delivery

A tanker has arrived at the BP fuel station on Leeds Road, Harrogate to replenish the supplies of petrol and diesel.

The station had been closed for the past couple of days but should be ready for drivers to fill up at around 1pm.

A tanker has arrived.

10.30am – Boroughbridge Morrisons fuel station refills

Boroughbridge’s Morrisons fuel station is now back open after running out of petrol and diesel yesterday afternoon at around 3pm.

A reader contacted us to say that it was not busy and all of the petrol and diesel pumps were in operation.

10am – Just one fuel station out in Ripon

The Spar BP petrol station on North Street is awaiting a delivery later today, but is currently without diesel or unleaded petrol.

Both of the Morrisons petrol stations, on Harrogate Road and on the supermarket site, have all pumps in operation serving diesel and unleaded fuels.

Photo of BP pumps at Spar

Pumps at the BP Spar station.

 

Fuel Watch: Harrogate district forecourts continue to battle demand

Fuel stations across the Harrogate district are trying to refill as the government urges drivers to reduce demand for petrol and diesel.

Some forecourts remain closed but many are back up and running across the area. So we have created this live blog to help those in need find fuel.

Have you just been to fill up? Help other drivers in need by letting us know what the situation is like at your local petrol station.

Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your reports and we will add them to this rolling coverage throughout the day.

5.30pm – Fuel crisis ‘stabilising’, says transport secretary 

The transport secretary has said there is “very tentative signs of stabilisation” at petrol forecourts in the country.

Mr Shapps has also said that “normal service” will resume as people begin to revert back to old buying habits.

Meanwhile, the Petrol Retailers’ Association has reported a number of its members are now “reporting taking further deliveries of fuel”.

Is the situation getting better in the Harrogate district? Let us know at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

3.15pm Yorkshire Ambulance Service has “sufficient fuel”

Trust bosses at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have told the Stray Ferret that their ambulances have enough fuel despite the ongoing problems with supply.

Read more here.

3.05pm – Fuel at Boroughbridge Morrisons

A read has been in touch to report that Boroughbridge Morrisons is out of fuel. If you have any updates from petrol stations across the district, get in touch.

2.30pm – Queues at Ripon Road

Drivers are queueing at The Shell fuel station on Ripon Road this afternoon. An eye witness said seven cars were queuing at the pumps.

The forecourt had a delivery earlier today.

1pm – Tanker delivery at Harrogate fuel station

The Shell fuel station on Ripon Road has reopened after it took in a delivery of both petrol and diesel late this morning.

Since the delivery the petrol station has been busy but it does not seem to be causing queues on the main road.

The fuel station had been closed for the past couple of days after its supply struggled to keep up with a surge in demand.

12.20pm – A picture from across Harrogate fuel stations

Our reporter has been out and about once again to get a view from the fuel stations across the town. There have been deliveries but some places have since run out of fuel.

12pm – Update from Harrogate

Thanks to Stray Ferret reader Martin for this update. We will have a more comprehensive round-up of the situation at pumps in Harrogate shortly.

We continue to urge motorists to buy fuel responsibly and inform us of any updates. Thanks to the key worker who got in touch saying this live blog helped keep him operating yesterday.

https://twitter.com/FIRSTmarty/status/1442801585449574402

11.30 – Morrisons in Starbeck 

A reader has contacted us to says Morrisons in Starbeck was out of diesel an hour ago but still has unleaded petrol. Let us know if you have any updates.

10am – Most fuel stations in Harrogate have stock

The majority of fuel stations in Harrogate now have stock of petrol and diesel. However, a couple are still struggling to keep up with demand.

8am – Ripon has petrol but out of diesel

As of 8am today all of the diesel pumps at Ripon’s three principal petrol stations, had run dry.

At Spar on North Street, which is serviced by BP, only super unleaded fuel was available.

A delivery to top up the diesel and ordinary unleaded tanks is anticipated in the next couple of days.

Photo of BP pumps at Spar

Pumps at the BP Spar station.

Across the city at the Morrisons Harrogate Road station, stocks of diesel ran out this morning, but unleaded fuel is still available.

The same applies at the nearby Morrisons’ supermarket station.

Both expect deliveries from Esso later today.

Tim Flanagan

 

Fuel Watch: Which pumps are working across Harrogate district

Despite warnings from the government that there is no fuel shortage, drivers have been struggling to fill up cars across the Harrogate district.

As tankers arrive to refill stock at forecourts, the Stray Ferret has created this live blog to help people find petrol and diesel.

Have you just been to fill up? Help other drivers in need by letting us know what the situation is like at your local petrol station.

Send an email to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with your reports and we will add them to this rolling coverage throughout the day.

6.40pm – Queues look to be calming down at petrol stations in Harrogate

Queues are short at the Esso garage on Skipton Road.

6.10pm – Update on Harrogate’s petrol stations

The BP filling station on Leeds Road in Pannal has shut all its pumps.

6pm – Queues building at Morrisons in Boroughbridge 

After a delivery of fuel earlier today, the queues have been continuous at Morrisons in Boroughbridge.

One of our Stray Ferret readers James has gone in touch to say queues are now five cars deep for the pumps.

5.20pm – Esso garage on Knaresborough Road receiving a fuel delivery tonight

A local taxi driver has got in touch with the Stray Ferret to say the Esso garage on Knaresborough Road, heading out of Starbeck, is without fuel.

The station, which also has a Tesco Express store, is expecting a fuel delivery this evening at 7pm.

Please keep getting in touch with your updates.

3.30pm – The fuel station picture across the district

Harrogate

Knaresborough

Boroughbridge

Pateley Bridge

Ripon

2.52pm – Tanker arrives in Boroughbridge

A tanker is replenishing fuel supplies at Morrisons in Boroughbridge. Traffic is already queueing to get in.

2.15pm – Fuel station situation across Harrogate

Our reporter has been out and about in Harrogate check on fuel stations across Harrogate.

2.05pm – Esso on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road serving fuel

The Esso station on Wetherby Road has fuel and our latest update says there is no queueing.

1.50pm – One pump only at Knaresborough forecourt

The Co-Op petrol station on Wetherby Road in Knaresborough currently has just one pump serving fuel at the moment.

1.30pm – Morrisons at Boroughbridge out of fuel

Morrisons at Boroughbridge is out of fuel. Let us know if it reopens and what the situation is like on forecourts elsewhere in the district.

12.15am – Fuel storage warning

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has warned drivers of the hazards of storing fuel in cars and at home.

The fire service released the advice after people were pictured over the weekend filling up containers across the UK.

“We would like to remind people to take extreme care when handling and storing fuels and to be aware of the risks associated with the incorrect use and storage.

“In homes fuel containers must not be stored in living accommodation such as kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms or under staircases.

“Any storage place should be well away from living areas and be secured to protect against the possibility of vandalism or arson.”

11.30am – Pateley Bridge low on fuel but set for delivery

The Dales Market Corner in Pateley Bridge has reported that it no longer selling diesel and only has a small amount of petrol left.

It has created a £30 petrol limit which the staff have said they will try to keep for local people after some “came from miles around in a panic over the weekend”.

Stacey Brookes, manager at the Dales Market Corner, posted on Facebook about the situation this morning.

After a “very difficult weekend” the petrol station is expecting delivery of diesel and petrol at 6am tomorrow. It should be ready for customers 30 minutes later.

10.30am – Ripon petrol stations open and ready for busy week

As dawn broke in Ripon this morning, the city’s three main petrol stations were open in readiness for the working week ahead.

There was a steady flow of motorists filling up their vehicles at the two Morrisons Esso stations on Harrogate Road and within the supermarket’s site.

Across Ripon, on North Street, the BP station at the Spar store was also busy from early on.

As motorists rushed to the pumps over the weekend, the Morrisons Supermarket station was temporarily closed on Sunday.

Tim Flanagan

 

Green Shoots: Harrogate district plumber swaps ‘dirty diesel’ for vegetable fat

In this month’s Green Shoots we look at a Harrogate district plumber and heating engineer who has upgraded his “dirty diesel” van to run on a new green fuel made with vegetable fat — and reduced the amount of CO2 emissions it produces by up to 90%.

Alan Marcon owns Green and Reliable Heating in Whixley and clocks up hundreds of miles a month in his VW van travelling around Harrogate, York, Knaresborough, Nidderdale, and Masham installing central heating systems.

After becoming increasingly concerned about his own impact on the environment, he decided to “practice what I preach” and two months ago ditched polluting diesel for hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO).

No modifications to the fuel tank are needed.

A litre of HVO works out at £1.75, which is more expensive than diesel, but its impact on the environment is profound as it helps to combat climate change while making the air cleaner.

He said:

“We need to make change. Diesel is dirty. Our kids, their grandchildren need cleaner air. The quicker we can rid of diesel the better.”

“Our children need cleaner air”

Once touted as a clean fuel by the UK government in the 2000s, the reputation of diesel was irretrievably severed after the ‘dieselgate’ scandal in the 2010s when the carmaker Volkswagon was found to be cheating emissions tests.

Studies have come out in recent years that show exposure to diesel can contribute to asthma, heart disease and several types of cancer.

In a landmark case in December 2020, a coroner said air pollution contributed to the death of nine-year-old Londoner Ella Kissi-Debrah due to her exposure to toxic exhaust fumes near her home by a busy road.

The government will ban the sale of new diesel vehicles from 2035.

Alan said he was 11 when he began helping out at the family plumbing business, but during his early years in the trade his awareness of the damage diesel can do to the body was limited.

He said:

“We need to do something now”.

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Future technology

Before making the switch, Mr Marcon was worried the new fuel might damage his van, but he says the engine is quieter and happier, which should reduce the chance of engine failure or costly repairs.

He buys the fuel in barrels from a wholesale supplier.

2020 was a record year for electric car sales, but the majority of those sold were personal cars such as Teslas.

The switch to electric for fleet and trade vehicles has been a slower process, partly due to the high cost for new vehicles and a lack of government subsidies to encourage businesses to convert.

Mr Marcon sees HVO fuel as the ideal stopgap before the electric revolution takes hold:

“We need to do something quicker. Electric is brilliant but we haven’t got the technology yet.”

Skyfall

The world is changing, and Mr Marcron hopes other tradespeople will get on board with the new fuel.

He lives in Whixley in a house called Skyfall — fittingly, James Bond is set to drive an electric Aston Martin in the next installment of the franchise.

He added:

“After the pandemic more people want to be green. HVO is the perfect solution. I look at Yorkshire and I want to see our cities and towns go green.

Do you have an interesting project or passion that improves the environment and could feature in Green Shoots? Contact thomas@thestrayferret.co.uk