PETROL prices in parts of west Suffolk are as much as 5p higher than in the east of the county, new figures reveal.Filling your tank up with unleaded petrol costs about £2.

By Jonathan Barnes

PETROL prices in parts of west Suffolk are as much as 5p higher than in the east of the county, new figures reveal.

Filling your tank up with unleaded petrol costs about £2.80 more in Newmarket than it does in Ipswich, says Fuel-Cards.co.uk's regional fuel price report.

The county's motorists are also paying above the national average for both petrol and diesel, with pump prices rising by nearly 1p a litre in a month.

Newmarket town councillor George Lambton said last night he would be looking into the "rough deal" the town's motorists were getting.

The report says the average price of unleaded petrol in Suffolk last weekend was 78.4p per litre – a rise of 0.9p since early March – and diesel rose by 1p in that time to 80p per litre.

Newmarket was the most expensive place to buy petrol, at an average of 80.8p per litre, while Ipswich was the cheapest, at 75.8p.

Mr Lambton said he was at a loss to explain why pump prices in Newmarket were more expensive than elsewhere in Suffolk.

"We are getting a rough deal and I'm grateful for the survey for pointing it out – it's not something that has been raised before.

"I'd like to think we'll be able to put some pressure on petrol retailers to do something about it.

"Higher prices could encourage people to fill up with petrol outside Newmarket."

The report, compiled from pump prices from 12,000 forecourts across the UK, says motorists in Suffolk typically pay more for petrol and diesel than other drivers in the UK.

The average price of unleaded petrol across the UK increased by a penny a litre over the last month – to 78.4p – and diesel rose by 0.8p to 79.9p. World oil prices hit record highs last weekend.

Teresa Maynard, of Castle Fuel Cards, which compiled the report, said: "Although oil industry experts are divided about whether OPEC's plan to cut production will lead to more petrol price increases, drivers in Suffolk are already paying more for fuel.

"Some areas of the county could see average petrol prices reaching 82p per litre by September if garages pass on the last budget's tax increase on petrol and diesel."

The highest average petrol price recorded by Fuel-Cards.co.uk was 86.5p per litre, at Achnasheen in Highland, and the lowest was 71.9p per litre, in Thanet, Kent.

No-one from the UK Petroleum Industry Association was available for comment last night to explain why there are such discrepancies in petrol prices across counties such as Suffolk.