The most expensive gallon of diesel in Rhuthun is now just 5p shy of £6. Diesel’s gone up by three per cent in the last nine days. Unleaded is currently £5.22 per gallon, an increase over the same period of two per cent. As the gap between petrol and diesel widens, so the significant number of people in Rhuthun who run diesel cars are further squeezed. They picked diesel because of the superior fuel economy, a requirement of rural living.If you live in an urban area, everything’s on your doorstep. Not only that, there are alternatives to the car. That’s the case even eleven miles eastwards at Yr Wyddgrug/Mold, where urban north east Wales begins. Ironically, both unleaded and diesel are also cheaper there.
For Rhuthun, the alternatives are fewer. Some are already suggesting what we need is a lower rate of petrol tax in rural areas, something that recognises the situation we face. Because without a tax cut we will shortly have to make very stark choices, perhaps even between expenditure on (also increasing) food and on fuel.
We are never going to see cheap oil again. There are just too many international consumers chasing peak oil production, but if our rural economy is going to maintain itself in the face of a significant recession, we’re going to need some relief.
The case for differential tax is a strong one, not just for those who live in rural areas. The pre-summer sunshine brought some much-needed visitors to Rhuthun. They can’t fail to be impressed and several of them were overheard saying so. But will the chronic price of fuel stem this lifeline?
Comparison of prices per litre as at Saturday 24 May (struck through prices were on 21 April 2008).
| Filling Station | Unleaded per litre | Diesel per litre |
| Rhuthun Esso | ||
| Rhuthun Texaco | ||
| Dinbych Shell | ||
| Dinbych Morrisons | ||
| Rhyl Sainsbury's | ||
| Rhyl Shell | ||
| Yr Wyddgrug/Mold Esso | ||
| Yr Wyddgrug/Mold Shell | ||
| Yr Wyddgrug/Mold Tesco | ||
| Loggerheads | ||
| Wrecsam Asda | ||
| Wrecsam Tesco |
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Petrol