More pressure is being put on supermarket chain Morrisons which has been charging motorists more for fuel in Bridport than it does elsewhere.
The issue was raised in Parliament this week with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak being urged to stop Morrisons “abusing their position”.
The price of fuel at the store's garage in West Bay Road has been a sore point with locals who have complained the charges are unfair - at a time when prices are at an all-time high generally.
They say the supermarket petrol station, which is well used by locals and passing drivers, charges more compared to other sites in the area - and even more than Morrisons in Yeovil which is 20 miles away.
As recently as two weeks' ago the Bridport site was charging 4p more for unleaded compared to Morrisons Weymouth.
The Bridport Business Chamber of Trade and Commerce has previously shared its 'deep concern' over the price of fuel locally.
The Chamber held a meeting about the issue on Tuesday night and particularly its "continuing fight to ensure fuel prices in Bridport are comparable with surrounding towns".
President Rob Muhl has arranged a meeting with the Corporate Director and Head of Fuel at Morrisons.
Meanwhile, West Dorset MP Chris Loder raised the issue with Rishi Sunak in Parliament yesterday, accusing the supermarket of “harming” residents.
During prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons Mr Loder said: “Supermarkets such as Morrisons are abusing their dominant market position on fuel, charging up to 20p per litre more in Bridport than other towns in the region, thus preventing west Dorset residents from benefitting from the very unusual reduction in market price these days.
“Will the prime minster agree to meet with me to discuss what action can be taken against these commercial predators who harm our local residents in this way?”
Mr Sunak replied: “As chancellor I was pleased to cut duty by 5p a litre, the biggest-ever cut in fuel duty to help motorists in our country, but I recognise the concerns the honourable gentleman raised. That’s why we asked the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct an urgent review of the market.
“There are some actions to be considered coming out of that review and I look forward to meeting with him and working with the CMA to explore its recommendations in more detail.”
Morrisons responded by referring to a statement from the British Retail Consortium, which said: "Retailers understand the cost pressures facing motorists and will do everything they can to offer the best value-for-money across petrol and diesel forecourts, passing on cost reductions as they feed through the supply chain.”
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