PETROL prices have been slashed to under £1 per litre in some Worcester garages as oil prices continue to tumble because of coronavirus.

Both Tesco petrol stations (Warndon Villages and St Peter's) were selling unleaded at 99.9p per litre and diesel at 105.9p per litre today.

In contrast the BP garage in Lower Wick is charging 111.9p per litre for unleaded and 117.9p for diesel (12p per litre more expensive for both fuels than Tesco). Texaco in Droitwich Road, Worcester, is charging 107.9p for unleaded and 112.9p for diesel and Sainsbury's in Blackpole is charging 100.9p for unleaded and 105.9p for diesel.

One driver said: "I knew fuel prices were getting cheaper but it's rare to see unleaded for under £1 per litre so I made the most of it and filled up at Tesco.

"The roads were generally looking a lot busier than at any time in the last few weeks and I noticed quite a few divers taking advantage of the low prices on the forecourt."

The highest recorded petrol and diesel prices were in April 2012 according to the RAC figures.

On April 17, 2012, unleaded petrol hit 142.48p per litre, while on April 13, 2012 diesel was at 147.93p per litre.

The average cost of filling up a car with unleaded petrol has now dropped to its lowest level since May 2016, as a result of the historic oil price falls caused by the coronavirus outbreak, data from RAC Fuel Watch shows.

The average price of a litre of petrol fell by 4.15p in April, from 113.1p to 108.95p, meaning the cost of filling a 55-litre hatchback car fell from £62.21 to just £59.92.

Those able to refill at the cheapest UK supermarket forecourts meanwhile were able to do so for just £56.49. Drivers of diesel cars can now refill for £63, down from £64.63, thanks to the average price of a litre falling nearly 3p from 117.5p to 114.54p per litre last month.

The impact of the coronavirus, despite being one of the main factors in why UK fuel prices have dropped, is also the reason why they are not falling any further. The cost of oil collapsed to its lowest level in 21 years last month – down to just $13 on 21 April – as a result of demand disappearing in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. But while this sent wholesale prices plunging still further in the month, some of the UK’s largest fuel retailers did not cut forecourt prices with so few people buying fuel in the first place.

This was in sharp contrast to March which saw the supermarkets announce an unprecedented 12p per litre price chop on a single day.

Subject to any significant easing of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions that have forced millions of drivers to restrict the number of journeys they have taken since March 23, there remains scope for a further 12p per litre to come off the prices of both petrol and diesel.

If fully reflected at the pumps, this would see unleaded down to an average price of 96p per litre and diesel down to 102p.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “While it might seem odd that fuel price falls stalled last month despite wholesale prices coming down yet further, it is explained by the simple fact that UK fuel retailers will have been selling a fraction of what they would normally have sold in the last six weeks.

“We expect that only an easing of lockdown restrictions by the UK Government will trigger forecourts into changing their prices significantly, as this would effectively be a signal to millions that they can start making different types of journeys again by car, not just those currently deemed ‘essential’.

"As and when they do, drivers could be in line for even cheaper fill-ups in the coming months if wholesale prices remain suppressed, but that remains a big ‘if’ because as soon as more of us start driving the price of oil could begin to increase."