Hawes has second cheapest diesel in UK, survey finds

Cars queue at Dale Head Garage.

Hawes has the second cheapest diesel in the UK, according to an independent study.

Research by Petrolprices.com found that only Shildon in County Durham had cheaper diesel than the Wensleydale town’s Dale Head Garage, which today is selling derv for £1.295 a litre and petrol for £1.26.

Nationally, petrol prices jumped an average of 5p per litre last month, according to the RAC, the second biggest monthly rise in 19 years.

Petrol hit an average of 128.06p per litre, while diesel soared 3p per litre to 133.7p in April, marking three consecutive months of rises.

As those prices are national averages, they hide significant differences between the most and least expensive spots around the UK.

Dale Head Garage became the first in England to be run by the community when the previous owners sold up in November 2017.

This means the garage doesn’t have to make big profits and can keep prices low.

Because of its rural location, the filling stations also benefits from the Government’s 5p a litre rural fuel rebate scheme.

Cllr John Blackie, chair of Upper Dales Community Partnership (UDCP), the not-for-profit community company which runs the filling station, said he noticed on a recent trip to the James Cook Hospital that no petrol stations between the Dales and Middlesbrough were selling cheaper diesel than Hawes.

He added: “The wholesale prices have been creeping up for the last three weeks but my strategy is not to immediately increase our prices as occasionally they can come down the next week.

“The very low price meant we were seeing 30,000 litre fuel tankers arrive every four days to keep up with demand and Hawes on course to be renamed Riyadh!”

20 cheapest towns for diesel

  1. Shildon, County Durham- 127.9p (lowest) 127.9p (average)
  2. Hawes, North Yorkshire – 128p (lowest) 128p (average)
  3. Annan, Dumfries & Galloway- 127.9p (lowest) 128.1p (average)
  4. Broadstairs, Kent – 126.9p (lowest) 128.4p (average)
  5. Epping, Essex- 126.8p (lowest) 128.5p (average)
  6. Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire – 127.9p (lowest) 128.5p (average)
  7. Cardigan, Ceredigion – 127.9p (lowest) 128.6p (average)
  8. Ramsgate, Kent – 126.9p (lowest) 128.6p (average)
  9. Atherstone, Warwickshire – 127.9p (lowest) 128.7p (average)
  10. Crymych, Pembrokeshire – 127.9p (lowest) 128.9p (average)
  11. Maghera, County Londonderry – 127.9p (lowest) 129.2p (average)
  12. Antrim, County Antrim – 128.9p (lowest) 129.4p (average)
  13. Dewsbury, West Yorkshire- 127.7p (lowest) 129.5p (average)
  14. Chard, Somerset – 128.9p (lowest) 129.5p (average)
  15. Dromore, County Down – 127.9p (lowest) 129.6p (average)
  16. Dukinfield, Greater Manchester – 128.9p (lowest) 129.6p (average)
  17. Carrickfergus, County Antrim – 128.9p (lowest) 129.7p (average)
  18. Leigh, Greater Manchester- 128.7p (lowest) 129.7p (average)
  19. Calne, Wiltshire – 126.9p (lowest) 129.7p (average)
  20. Leyland, Lancashire- 128.7p (lowest) 129.7p (average)

20 cheapest towns for petrol

  1. Ryde, Isle of Wight – 118.9p (lowest) 119.3p (average)
  2. Leyland, Lancashire – 119.7p (lowest) 120.6p (average)
  3. Halesworth, Suffolk – 119.9p (lowest) 120.6p (average)
  4. Leigh, Greater Manchester – 118.9p (lowest) 120.7p (average)
  5. Loanhead, Midlothian – 120.7p (lowest) 121.1p (average)
  6. Haslingden, Lancashire – 120.8p (lowest) 121.1p (average)
  7. Penicuik, Midlothian – 120.9p (lowest) 121.2p (average)
  8. Cwmbran, Torfaen – 1.9.9p (lowest) 121.2p (average)
  9. Renfrew, Renfrewshire – 119.9p (lowest) 121.6p (average)
  10. Broadford, Highland – 120.9p (lowest) 121.6p (average)
  11. Harworth, Nottinghamshire – 120.7p (lowest) 121.7p (average)
  12. Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire – 120.9p (lowest) 121.9p (average)
  13. Ramsgate, Kent – 117.9p (lowest) 121.9p (average)
  14. Hunstanton, Norfolk – 121.9p (lowest) 121.9p (average)
  15. Wednesbury, West Midlands – 120.7p (lowest) 121.9p (average)
  16. Banbridge, County Down – 118.9p (lowest) 122p (average)
  17. Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire – 119.9p (lowest) 122p (average)
  18. Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire – 120.7p (lowest) 122.1p (average)
  19. Tetbury, Gloucestershire – 121.9p (lowest) 122.1p (average)
  20. Willenhall, West Midlands – 120.7p (lowest) 122.1p (average)

The RAC’s Simon Williams said that nationally retailers had been keeping the gap between wholesale and forecourt diesel prices deliberately high to soften the petrol rise.

He said: “It is very clear from our monitoring of forecourt and wholesale prices that retailers have been using the cheaper wholesale cost of diesel to subsidise petrol pump prices and had they not, a new monthly price rise record would have been set.

“As a result diesel drivers – and businesses that doesn’t buy fuel in advance – are now all paying far more than they should be.”