[AWD Chaser]

http://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/ne...d/1414587.aspx

For Maitland motorists looking to skip town for the long weekend, major service station operators are ready.


The pre-Christmas period that saw unleaded petrol prices slump below a dollar were a distant memory for motorists on Wednesday as they faced prices upwards of 119 cents per litre.

The independent stations gave travellers a prolonged window of opportunity Wednesday afternoon, keeping prices below the $1.04 per litre.

The Mercury found the Metro service station at Cliftleigh offered the best opportunity for cheap fuel on Thursday with their e10 unleaded at 103.7 cents per litre, while the Caltex at Maitland and Green Hills, and the BP at Rutherford hit prices as high as 119.9 cents per litre.

Maitland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jennifer Nichols said she was at a loss to imagine how the major providers could explain more than 10 cents per litre deficit from the independents.

“How do they justify a difference in excess of 10 cents,” she said.

“I’m sure the problem isn’t just with individual shop owners, it runs deeper than that.

“But when you drive up through Rutherford and see a big difference between the Shell and the Caltex, it makes you wonder.”

Ms Nichols said it was disappointing following the respite from high prices motorists experienced at the end of 2008.

“It is really disappointing. As soon as consumers start to see some sort of relief, it is snatched away from them,” she said.

“From a business point of view it is just one more thing businesses have to compete with. But Maitland is still doing pretty well in comparison to a lot of other places.” And Ms Nichols was quick to remind motorists this weekend that at least they were not paying the mid-2008 prices of around $1.50.