Major supermarkets have been criticised for charging more for petrol in less well off parts of the Valleys than in Cardiff. We found unleaded on sale at prices between 3p and 6p a litre higher in towns in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr than in Wales' capital.
The leader of RCT council, Andrew Morgan, has called on Asda and Tesco to explain the difference in price between areas that are so close in distance. He wrote on Twitter: "Can you explain @asda @Tesco why your petrol and diesel prices are higher in the Valleys than other areas of south Wales? It seems the poorest areas that are more car dependant have the higher prices? Be good for an explanation please?"
He said the apparent price differences made him feel uncomfortable as Valleys communities historically have less disposable income than those closer to major city centres. He said it would undoubtedly have a knock-on impact on Valleys town centres, as people spend more on fuel and less on local businesses.
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He said: "When I travelled to Cardiff the other day, it was between 3p and 5p a litre cheaper in Cardiff than it was in Rhondda. It's hard to imagine why garages just a couple of miles apart with such big buying power are so different in price.
"The general feeling I've got from speaking to people is it does feel as though parts of the valleys are getting a raw deal. As much as I would like to see a lot more jobs in the valleys, there are never going to be enough jobs for everyone. Commuting is part of that. People might commute to other local towns and to Cardiff. It means if they're paying that couple of pence per litre more, they are going to have less disposable income. It does have a knock on impact.
"If someone is paying perhaps £5 more on their petrol per week than they normally would, that's £5 less they're spending in the town centre. It has a local impact. If 5,000 people are paying a couple of pound extra a week, that 5,000 more people who should be a couple of pounds better off and could spend that money in our local town centres."
WalesOnline went out in Cardiff on Tuesday, September 6, to test out what supermarkets are currently charging for fuel in the Valleys versus Cardiff
Our first stop was was Asda at Dowlais Top in Merthyr Tydfil, where petrol was on sale at 168.7p per litre and diesel was 179.7p per litre. A few miles away in Asda, Aberdare, petrol came to 169.7p and diesel reached 180.7p.
As we travelled towards the capital in Asda Coryton, we found petrol on sale for a cheaper price that both Valleys stores at 163.7p per litre. That's around 5p cheaper than in Merthyr and 6p cheaper than in Aberdare. Diesel at the Cardiff store matched its Merthyr Tydfil branch at 179.7p and was 1p cheaper than in Aberdare.
Next we compared prices at Tesco in the Valleys Cardiff. When we arrived at Tesco in Pontypridd we found petrol on sale for 168.9p and diesel at 179.9p. It meant petrol was 4p cheaper from the Tesco Express petrol station in Tyn y Parc, Cardiff, where it was 164.9p. Diesel was roughly the same at 179.4p per litre from the Cardiff branch.
Back in Aberdare, the price of petrol in Tesco came to 168.9p per litre. Diesel was being sold for 179.9p. At the Tesco petrol station on Excelsior road, Cardiff, petrol again cost 4p less per litre than the Aberdare branch at 164.9p, while diesel matched the price at 179.9p.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We regularly monitor fuel prices throughout a local area to ensure we’re providing competitive prices for our customers." Asda has also been approached for comment.
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