Petrol prices dropped 6p last month, but the RAC warns they’re still too high. The motoring group reported that a litre of unleaded fell from 146.7p to 140.6p, marking the second consecutive monthly drop and bringing petrol prices to a level not seen since early February 2022.

Despite this decrease, the RAC insists pump prices should be lower as the average supermarket margin on fuel was 13p per litre last month, more than double what it was in 2021.

Diesel also fell 5p in December from 154.3p to 149.2p.

Fuel prices in Northern Ireland were lower at the end of December, with petrol at 135.3p per litre and diesel at 144.2p.

This is generally due to competition from forecourts in the Republic of Ireland.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “It’s clearly good news that both petrol and diesel came down substantially in December.

“While we’re starting the year paying much less at the pumps than we have done, it’s still galling to know that drivers aren’t being charged a fair price in comparison to Northern Ireland where the very same petrol and diesel is at least 5p a litre cheaper.”

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