Fuel prices vary across Tyrone

DEPENDING on what part of Tyrone you decide to quench your vehicle’s thirst, you could be saving – or losing – quite a bit on fuel costs compared to your fellow countypeople.

Taking a comparative look at fuel prices, with the help of Confused.com, in the three most populous towns in Tyrone, Strabane is the capital of affordable fuel in Tyrone, while Dungannon and Omagh are significantly more expensive.

According to the price comparison website, the best diesel price in Omagh comes in at 139.6p per litre, compared to 139.9p in Dungannon. However it is in Strabane where the real savings are to be found, with one filling station offering a rate of 136.7p per litre.

When it comes to petrol prices, the rankings are much the same, however this time those who fill up in Omagh are paying slightly more than those in Dungannon, but again it is Strabane that boasts the best bargain.

The best price for petrol in the county town is 139.6p per litre, while in Dungannon a litre of unleaded can be obtained marginally cheaper for 138.9p.

However, again, it is those beside the Donegal border who have the most affordable petrol prices, the cheapest filling station in Strabane offering a rate of 136.7p per litre.

Jonathan McCullagh is owner of McCullagh’s Classic Service Station, the filling station with the best rate in Omagh for both petrol and diesel.

He says fuel prices have been “extremely volatile” since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Over the last 12 months, oil has risen from $30 a barrel to over $80 a barrel,” said Jonathan.

“We have also seen huge cost increases in other energy sources such as gas and electricity. Over 80p per litre of fuel currently is made up of Government duty and VAT. It is certainly something which the treasury could review in order to reduce the burden on motorists in a rising market.”

He added, “We are a local family run business and over the past six years since our redevelopment we have consistently offered the cheapest fuel prices in the local Omagh area.

“This includes us being cheaper than huge multinational corporations, indeed there have been recent occasions where we have been up to 6p per litre cheaper than our nearest competitors.”

Figures within this article are taken from Confused.com as last updated on January 12.