Olympics factor prompts fall in petrol sales

A cut-down on car travel during the summer Olympics period contributed to a reduction in petrol purchasing in the first nine months of the year.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th Dec 2012, 06:00 BST

The equivalent of five days of petrol consumption was lost during the Olympics, according to AA analysis of Government figures.

Sales were down around 5.6 per cent for the July-September period compared with the same time last year. Overall, petrol sales in the first nine months of this year were down 4.6 per cent to 13.11bn litres, but diesel sales were up 2.1 per cent to 12.22bn litres.

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AA public affairs head Paul Watters said: “For once, the drain in fuel sales wasn’t solely down to record pump prices forcing hard-up UK families to cut back on car use.”

The AA said the average price of petrol in the UK is 131.99p a litre, with diesel at 139.80p.