CASH-strapped motorists could save as much as seven pence per litre on petrol if they shop around for their fuel, according to new figures.

The brief dip in the price of petrol at the pumps appears to be over with the average cost of unleaded now 136.7p a litre.

But savvy drivers in Bournemouth could purchase unleaded fuel for 132.9p a litre, with the most expensive at 139.9p a litre, the price being charged yesterday at the BP garage on Castle Lane East.

The average price of unleaded fuel in Bournemouth is 135.7p a litre while in Poole the average charge is slightly cheaper at 134.6p.

Unleaded fuel in Poole could set you back between 132.7p a litre and 138.9p a litre, a potential saving of 6.2p a litre, petrolprices.com have revealed.

Esso on Wimborne Road, Oakdale, has unleaded at 133.9p a litre and diesel at 139.9p per litre, while BP on Longfleet Road, Poole, has unleaded at 135.9p a litre and diesel at 139.9p per litre.

Currently the most expensive petrol is to be found in Northern Ireland and the cheapest in Yorkshire and Humberside. Diesel now averages 139.77p a litre.

The AA said it believed that, despite the fall in prices since early May, petrol drivers have been denied much of the saving that the crash in oil price could have allowed. This has short-changed drivers by around 2p a litre or £1 a tank.