A Lewis petrol station is bucking the trend of rising fuel prices – by lowering its costs over the last six weeks.
Gordon Diesel Services, located around seven miles north of Stornoway, has been able to bring down its fuel prices by 15p in recent weeks.
The firm’s Facebook page keeps islanders updated on prices.
And while petrol and diesel prices have risen everywhere, hovering near the £2 mark because of the cost of living crisis and the war in Ukraine, theirs has dropped.
On June 8, the business updated customers that the price of petrol had risen to 196.9 per litre while diesel was at 178.9 per litre.
In the following few weeks, the price of diesel increased to a high of 199.9 per litre on June 27.
The station can set its prices by using Platts Market Index on fuel, which takes an average from each day of the previous week.
Working with their suppliers Gordon Diesel Services can get the best price, and customers are grateful when filling up.
‘We take pride in our honesty’
The government make a minimum of 57.95p with the addition of 20% VAT on every litre.
Alasdair Smith, manager of Gordon Diesel Services, gave his thoughts on the situation, especially in an area as remote as the Western Isles.
He said: “It been a nightmare, to be honest. There is a fuel depot in Stornoway that get weekly deliveries by tanker but what’s peculiar is they might fill the tanks up this week, but then the price of fuel in the tanks might be worth more or less depending on new prices.
“We are very open with our customers, and we explain everything to them about how we are able to keep our prices so reasonable.”
Mr Smith explained that the station only makes around 6p on every litre of fuel sold, with 1p added to the price, while the rest is an HMRC rebate.
Islanders are experiencing more hardship than most as many residents rely on heating oil for their homes, which is not subject to a price cap.
Mr Smith said: “We do the best that we can to pass on every drop of fuel, and that’s what our customers really praise us for.
“We get some travelling 50 miles to fill their tanks with us and to show support for what we are doing. We take pride in our honesty and keeping our prices low.”
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