Residents on the Isle of Coll have taken to “walking and cycling” and leaving cars on the mainland as fuel prices hit £2.38 a litre on the island.
Islanders are said to have the highest pump price in the UK and the fuel duty discount has not touched the sides of bringing the cost below £2.35 – let alone the £2 mark.
With prices across the country continuing to rise due to an increase in oil prices, a 5p per litre duty reduction on fuel has failed to impress people across the region.
Coll Community Council chairman Rob Wainwright said: “When I went away on holiday the cost was £2.10 a litre for diesel.
‘It reflects the cost of living all over’
“I had not realised it had risen so high, but a new tanker delivered fuel to the island. It is expensive.
“It reflects the cost of living all over.”
The former Scottish Rugby Union captain continued: “Shop prices are the highest in the country as well. And that has nothing to do with shop owners and much more to do with freight costs.
“The cost of living on an island is incredibly high. And like many things it makes life hard for those on lower incomes.
“Some islanders can afford to travel to Oban to get cheaper fuel and cheaper food – but many can’t afford to do that.”
‘We leave the car in Oban and walk and cycle on the island’
One resident, who asked not to be named so as not to offend the business on the island, said: “We have all taken to leaving the car in Oban and walking and cycling on the island.
Diesel on Isle of Coll £2.38 pic.twitter.com/BWo72HuCEC
— Phantom Power (@PhantomPower14) March 25, 2022
“If you think the petrol prices are high, you should see the other prices islanders throughout Scotland have to pay.
“We have had a cost of living crisis for decades – everyone else is just catching up.”
Yesterday we reported that people in Lochaline, in the Morvern peninsula are now paying £2.03 per litre.
It had been hoped the chancellor’s decision to reduce fuel would have eased the costs for families.
