Business

Survey: Diesel falls to lowest price in four months at pumps around the north

Home heating oil prices drop to lowest rate since July 2023, according to the Consumer Council

Road diesel is still cheaper in the Republic on average, but could that be about to change this autumn?
The latest Consumer Council survey shows the price of road diesel at a four month low in Northern Ireland.
By Ryan McAleer

The average price of diesel at fuel pumps around the north has fallen to its lowest price in four months, new Consumer Council analysis suggests.

The weekly tracker from the watchdog found the average price of diesel fell by 2.5p per litre in the past week to £1.463.

It’s the lowest price recorded by the survey since February 15.

The Consumer Council said the average price of a litre of petrol also fell last week, dropping 0.5p to £1.431, the lowest price since April.

The weekly survey found Omagh the cheapest place in the north to buy diesel, with prices averaging £1.418, while north Antrim (£1.489) and Newcastle (£1.509) recorded highest prices.

Meanwhile, a weekly fuel price tracker published by the UK government, put the average price of a litre of diesel at £1.5708 this week, a weekly fall of 0.6p per litre.

Petrol fell 0.3p to £1.4923 per litre, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The AA’s most recent survey of fuel prices in the Republic, put the average price of a litre of diesel at €1.799 (£1.54) in April.

Petrol across the border averaged €1.849 (£1.59) last month according to the AA.

Prices in May are expected to come down in line with wholesale oil market trends.

A barrel of Brent crude oil had reached around $91 in early April.

But the latest Brent crude futures market tracker showed the price at around $82 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a separate survey from the Consumer Council, published on Thursday, said the average price of 500 litres of home heating oil fell to £317.40 this week, the lowest price since July 2023.