Rural petrol stations battle for survival

Jun 29 2009 by Sam Wood, The Journal

Les Jewitt, who runs a petrol station in Chollerford, Northumberland also said he was struggling and had considered stopping selling fuel.

“I sell a few cars on my forecourt which allows me to keep going. I make more money out of that and I have considered getting rid of the pumps and putting more cars in the space.

“The supermarkets actually sell fuel to customers cheaper than I can get it from my suppliers. There is no way of negotiating because I buy in such small amounts. I sell it at a loss at times just to try to get people into the shop.

“There is no other petrol station along Hadrian’s Wall between Newcastle and Carlisle. And they are very few between here and Scotland. If I stopped selling petrol there would be serious problems for anyone needing to get hold of fuel.”

Sir Alan Beith, MP for Berwick, said the Government should put pressure on fuel suppliers to sell fuel to small operators more cheaply. He said: “This a real problem for rural communities. If these stations close people have to drive a lot further to get fuel and that is a waste.

“Plus many of them provide essential services such as selling food for their local communities.”