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‘Gold flakes in that fuel’: Highland petrol station blasted for high diesel prices

The Cluanie Inn on the A87 Road to the Isles in Wester Ross currently has some of the highest fuel prices in Scotland. Picture by SANDY McCOOK

A remote petrol pump in the Highlands is selling diesel at 184.9p-a-litre –believed to be one of the most expensive on the UK mainland.

The Cluanie Inn – on the A87, the main Skye to Inverness road – is also advertising unleaded petrol at 165p-a-litre.

In the Highland capital of Inverness, 50 miles away, petrol retails at Tesco at around 134p.

The Cluanie Inn’s pump price is despite Chancellor Rishi Sunak continuing a freeze on fuel duty rates.

Nationally average forecourt prices were last this high in September 2012, and are 2.5p a litre from the all-time high in April of that year when global oil prices soared.

But at The Cluanie Inn are already well past that peak.

‘At least Dick Turpin wore a mask’

The Cluanie Inn on the A87 Road to the Isles in Wester Ross currently has some of the highest fuel prices in Scotland. Picture by SANDY McCOOK

Motorists took to social media to vent their astonishment.

“Gold flakes in that fuel,” wrote one.

“At least Dick Turpin wore a mask,” said another, while a driver added: “At that price they don’t need to be open all day! Few cars in that’s them made a profit.”

“I would push ma car to next garage,” said a fellow motorist.

Another joked: “Might fill up the lorry there tomorrow.”

Rapidly rising wholesale oil prices have compounded the supply chain problems hitting forecourts. After the queues for fuel and shortages of the past few weeks, petrol is once again largely freely available – but costing an average 5p a litre more than in September.

According to recent AA figures, the average price of unleaded petrol is 140.22p a litre, with diesel at 143.42p.

The Cluanie Inn on the A87 Road to the Isles in Wester Ross currently has some of the highest fuel prices in Scotland

The Cluanie Inn was among those bought by an Indian businessman two years ago after he felt so let down by Highland hospitality he decided to purchase the offending hotels to ‘show them how it should be done’.

The Mumbai millionaire took the extraordinary step after paying up to £120 a night for dirty rooms, no hot water and microwave meals served by a carpenter.

Sanjay Narang, then 56, visited Inverness-shire at the end of April in 2018 for a hiking holiday with his sister Rachna.

By the first week in May, he had decided to buy three hotels – Letterfinlay Lodge in Spean Bridge, The Cluanie Inn at Glenmoriston and Craigard Guest House in Invergarry – at a total cost of almost £3 million. He planned to spend a further £6 million refurbishing, rebranding and extending them.

Mr Narang said then: “It was -7C one day and there was no hot water in the hotel where we were staying.

“I called downstairs and the manager said ‘The boiler has not been working since last Thursday and the guy can’t come to fix it till next week’ and put the phone down. They were charging us £120 a night and there was no hot water, no apology, nothing.”

Fuel announcement

The Chancellor’s fuel announcement was not met with much enthusiasm, deeming such a small measure to be largely ineffectual at a time of record high prices.

The RAC’s fuel spokesman, Simon Williams said: “We’re disappointed he [the Chancellor] did not provide some respite for drivers at the pumps. As VAT is charged on the final cost at the pumps, a temporary cut in VAT to motor fuels would have benefitted drivers immediately at a time when filling up the car is hurting household budgets more than ever before as well as the wider economy as people will have less money to spend.”

‘It is more a service we provide’

The Cluanie Inn said its fuel prices were based on its remote location, the cost of transporting petrol and diesel to the site, and that it relied on a diesel generator to power the pumps and point of sale machine 24/7.

“We do not make any profit out of the fuel sales,” said Vanessa Crasto, vice president of parent group Black Sheep Hotels.

“It is more a service we provide. There is no other fuel pump for many miles and we keep ours open 24/7 as a service. The Cluanie Inn has no (mains) electricity. It relies on the diesel generator.”