"Fair Petrol Prices for MK Motorists"

12.00.00am GMT Thu 3rd Mar 2005

Last Spring the cost of petrol in Milton Keynes reached 85.9p per litre, well above regional prices and above that justified by the increases in world oil prices.

Local Liberal Democrats, led by Councillor Alan Pugh, held a demonstration outside the Milton Keynes offices of BP, the leading petrol retailer in the area, to draw attention to the very high prices in and around Milton Keynes.

Councillor Graham Mabbutt, who is responsible for transport in Milton Keynes, was delighted with the response: "It was the lead item on BBC TV Look East. Central Television did a special feature and so did the local press and radio stations. The response from BP to this media interest was immediate. They promised to keep future local petrol prices in line with those in the south-east of England. Almost overnight, prices started to fall. Since then various supermarkets have continued to cut prices and BP has had to follow."

Alan Pugh says: "Every penny reduction we get in the price per litre saves MK motorists over a million pounds a year at the petrol pumps. Local Liberal Democrats will continue our "Petrol Price Watch" campaign.