A County Durham petrol station has been praised after selling fuel at eight pence cheaper than the UK average price. 

G.W.Holmes & Son in Etherley Moor, Bishop Auckland, has been hailed as one of the best petrol stations in the region - and has collected praise once again after offering drivers petrol for 135.7p and diesel at 139.7p. 

This drop comes when the national average price for a litre of unleaded petrol is 143.0p, a rate not seen since mid-February, according to the AA.

G.W.Holmes and Son offering 135.7p for petrolG.W.Holmes and Son offering 135.7p for petrol (Image: G.W.HOLMES & SON)

These prices are a significant drop from the national average for diesel, which stands at 147.9p per litre, a figure not seen since the end of January.

Despite the reductions, the AA noted that there is little to cheer about, given the consistently high fuel prices even before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

The organisation cited April 2012, when the highest average price was 142.5p per litre.

Commenting on the impact on workers, the AA criticised potential plans to scrap the 5p-per-litre fuel duty cut introduced in March 2022.

The AA's Fuel Price spokesman, Luke Bosdet, took the opportunity to weigh in on the issue.

Mr Bosdet said: "Pump prices this summer have given UK drivers little cause for celebration.

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"They may be way below the 191.53p record for petrol in July 2022 but they are currently locked at a permanently and historically high level that drains consumers’ finances."

Efforts by G.W.Holmes & Son to keep fuel prices low could offer slight relief to low-wage workers.

Yet, as Mr Bosdet noted, "For low-paid workers who welcomed a living wage increase of nearly £2 an hour during the cost-of-living crisis, having to pay an extra 6p a litre for road fuel is going to feel like a substantial pay cut."