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’ 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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