FERMANAGH motorists are paying through the nose for their fuel, not just compared to those in the South, but especially when compared to our neighbours in Omagh, to the tune of up to £5 a fill up!
With the cost of fuel soaring, this week the Herald decided to take a closer look at local pump prices, with shocking results.
We surveyed several local stations right around Fermanagh and were surprised to find very little difference, if any, in their prices. Prices that are much higher than fellow motorists are paying just a few miles away in Tyrone.
While our survey did not include all stations in Fermanagh, instead it was a randomly selected sample of stations across the county, everyone we spoke to had exactly the same prices, right down to a fraction of a penny. They were 132.9p for petrol and 133.9p for diesel, with a slight variation of 1p on the diesel price at one station.
As fuel in the South is traditionally cheaper, we decided to compare the prices to those in border stations. As expected, the prices were lower, but only slightly. Unlike the stations in Fermanagh, the prices varied. While petrol only differed slightly, from 131.1p to 131.9p, diesel ranged from 121.9p to 124p.
The most surprising results of all, however, came when we looked into fuel prices in Omagh. Once again, our survey was not exhaustive, but the similar sized sample of stations we spoke to had significantly cheaper prices than those in Fermanagh.
While the prices were less varied than in the South, in Omagh the average cost of petrol was 128.9p, with diesel at 129.9p. One station even had petrol as low as 126.6p and diesel at 128.6p.
We put the results of our survey to some local motorists, who all begged the question, why are our pump prices so much higher than others?
“That really isn’t fair,” said one motorist who didn’t want to be named. “I knew the prices in the South were cheaper, they always are, but why are the prices in Omagh so much cheaper than here? It doesn’t make sense.”
Another was less shocked: “I’m not surprised, if I’m honest. I never really compared the prices directly, but I drive up the country quite a bit, and I always try to fill up when I’m away. I only ever get diesel in Enniskillen when I desperately need to.”
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Posted: 2:08 pm August 30, 2018