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Petrol prices drop below £1 a litre amid coronavirus lockdown

Low fuel prices at the Go filling station, Brougham St, Belfast. Picture by Cliff Donaldson
Low fuel prices at the Go filling station, Brougham St, Belfast. Picture by Cliff Donaldson Low fuel prices at the Go filling station, Brougham St, Belfast. Picture by Cliff Donaldson

FUEL prices at some filling stations in Northern Ireland have fallen to under £1 a litre as the coronavirus lockdown keeps many drivers at home.

A forecourt near Yorkgate in north Belfast has been spotted charging 99.9p a litre.

The prices are some of the cheapest in more than a decade with wholesale costs plunging to lower than they were during the financial crash of 2008.

The last time motorists saw prices fall so low was in early 2016 when the average dropped to 101.8p per litre, although supermarkets were charging much less.

Petrol prices drop below £1 a litre amid coronavirus lockdown
Petrol prices drop below £1 a litre amid coronavirus lockdown

Experts had predicted that prices would drop below £1 per litre following a supermarket price war last week.

Asda dropped its price per litre of petrol by 12p and diesel by eight pence.

The tumbling prices follow a fall in global demand for fuel, after the grounding of many flights globally and fewer drivers on the roads as countries attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Major supermarkets usually lead the way in driving prices down, with independent forecourts following suit.

Motoring association the AA said it was independent fuel stations which first went below the £1 per litre mark during the economic downturn of 2008.

But the AA said drivers should remember that the reduced prices at the pumps should not be an incentive to breach the Covid-19 lockdown.

Falling motor fuel and computer game prices were the main contributing factions to UK inflation slowing last month, statisticians said.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week said the rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased to 1.7 per cent in February.