The government has announced it will proceed with its plan to introduce motorway signs that display the price of fuel at multiple service stations along a route.
The system, which is already used in Europe, will allow motorists to see whether it’s worth driving a bit further along a motorway to secure a cheaper price at the pump for petrol and diesel.
It is hoped the signs will rid the country of rip-off motorway service station fuel prices.
The Department for Transport (DfT) plans to introduce the signs at five service stations on the M5 between Bristol and Exeter in early 2015, with a view to rolling them out on a country-wide scale by the end of the same year if the trial proves successful.
Transport minister Robert Goodwill said: “For too long drivers have been ripped off by petrol prices on motorways. This government wants to support the hardworking people of Britain and build a fairer society. Today’s announcement will ensure people can see the cheapest places to fill up, encouraging greater competition between service stations.”
The government said it has spent the last six months ‘examining the cost and planning implications’ associated with introducing the petrol price road signs.
Petrol was found to be 7.5 pence more expensive, according to a report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in 2013 that lead to the government considering the proposal. Diesel was found to cost an extra 8.3-pence per litre.
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