Jersey fuel costs 'among highest in Europe'

Islanders pay about 14p per litre more before tax to fill up their cars in Jersey than in the UK, it has been found.

The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) has investigated the price of petrol and diesel in the island.

The competition watchdog wants garages to display their prices more clearly so that customers can find the best deal.

Lower taxes mean the price at the pump in Jersey is actually cheaper.

John Curran, from the JCRA, said only nine of 34 forecourts in Jersey clearly display the price of their fuel.

Mr Curran said: "We have quite low taxes and duties on fuel in Jersey compared to most other countries and to get a like-for-like comparison we have stripped out taxes and duties to understand what the underlying cost of fuel is and on that basis the price we pay here is amongst the highest in Europe."

Chris Gouyet from the Taxi Drivers Association said he just has to put up with increasing costs.

"Petrol has gone up about 20% since January and we had a 4% fare increase this year to try and pull back some of the extra expense," he said.