SNP MP Angus MacNeil has asked fuel wholesalers Certas Energy and Highland Fuels to clarify if pump prices in the Uists are too high.
Since July, the wholesale price of unleaded is estimated to have fallen by around 13p a litre and the price of diesel has fallen by 7p a litre.
Motorists in Uist face paying up to 20p more than in Lewis and many feel the lower wholesale costs are not always being passed on.
Angus MacNeil said: “Questions have to be asked and clarity sought as to why there
is such a huge price difference in the cost of fuel in different parts of the Western
Isles. Some users feel that while the wholesale price has fallen, they feel that
the retail price at some pumps has not.
“We hear on a weekly basis that the price
of the barrel of oil is falling, which is currently at its lowest since 2010, yet
motorists, particularly in Uist, feel they are not seeing this price reflected at
some pumps.
“We all know retailers have to make a profit to pay staff etc., and smaller stations with low fuel volume sales will have greater pressures and resultant higher costs.
“However, what many constituents want is information on whether retail margins are
remaining broadly the same and that profits are steady and fair.”
MP queries higher fuel prices
3 December 2014