Petrol and diesel prices have dipped slightly in Northern Ireland says latest survey
The average price of petrol and diesel has fallen in Northern Ireland.
However, the dip is only very slight, and prices of both remain almost as high as they were following the 2022 spike caused by Russia invading Ukraine.
According to the Consumer Council, which surveys pump prices across 30 different towns and cities in the Province every week, a litre of petrol now costs an average of 166.6p.
Diesel meanwhile costs 191.6ppl.
Compared to the previous week, petrol is 0.5p per litre cheaper, while diesel has dropped in price by 1.7p per litre.
The price had plateaued the week before that, bringing to an end 12 straight weeks of rising prices.
The most expensive diesel price the Consumer Council found across the whole Province was 159.9ppl, recorded at various service stations in Enniskillen, Magherafelt, Strabane, Irvinestown, and Randalstown.
The lowest was 181.9ppl, recorded at an unnamed station in Belfast.
The highest petrol price it found was 173.9ppl, in Cookstown, and the lowest was 159.9ppl, in Bangor.
While consumers will be hoping that this week’s minor dip points towards a fresh trajectory for forecourt costs, there is still a long way to go before prices drop back down to where they were mid-summer, let alone before the Iran war began.
At the start of July, when prices hit their lowest ebb since the war started in February, petrol had been 144.7ppl and diesel had been 154.8ppl.
That means petrol is currently 21.9ppl more expensive than it was at the start of July, and diesel is 37ppl more expensive.
Back before the US and Israel bombed Iran, petrol had been sitting at an average of 124.8ppl and diesel at 132.6ppl.
That means petrol now costs 41.8ppl more than the pre-war era, and diesel is 59ppl more.
Meanwhile the cost of home heating oil has risen slightly, going from £964 for a 900 litre load last week to £1,019 this week – a jump of £55.
The previous three weeks had seen a very steady decline in price.
Before the war, 900 litres cost £516, on average – almost half of its current value.