Swindon residents have raised concerns over petrol prices after discovering that prices are much higher in Swindon than in neighbouring towns and cities.

It is no surprise to motorists that fuel prices often vary from company to company in order to keep competition high, but several Swindon residents have expressed their confusion after spotting different prices in the same company.

Mark Bristow, a Swindon local who works in Reading, regularly travels back and forth between the two towns and was shocked to find that Sainsbury's fuel was much cheaper outside of Swindon.

"Today I saw Sainsbury's charging £1.37 a litre when our cheapest Sainsbury's is £1.44," he told the Swindon Advertiser.

"Why is it taking so long to come down here when wholesale prices have definitely dropped? Are we being ripped off in Swindon?"

Mark is not the first one to raise this concern in Swindon, as others have picked up on differences even within different areas of the town.

"One thing that caught me out is Sainsbury's on Oxford Road," said Adver reader Michael Scott.

"Their petrol is always 1p more expensive than the West Swindon one. That's not much for young readers but to me, that's 4.5p a gallon more which back in the day was crazy."

If we take Sainsbury's as an example, it is clear that fuel prices vary from place to place. 

At the time of writing, Unleaded fuel from Sainsbury's petrol stations averages at £1.44 per litre in Swindon, but is £1.39 in Gloucester and £1.38 in Reading.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of individual retailers to set petrol prices, and this takes into account multiple factors such as transportation costs to each area and the volume of fuel supplied to meet demand.

“Like other major petrol retailers in the UK such as Sainsbury's, we don’t have one national price for fuel,” explained Tesco.

“We work hard to be competitive in all areas, including the services and ranges offered within our kiosks and on our forecourts.”

So where are the cheapest places in and around Swindon to fill up?

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Sainsbury's unleaded fuel is more expensive in Swindon than it is in Reading or Gloucester.Sainsbury's unleaded fuel is more expensive in Swindon than it is in Reading or Gloucester. (Image: Dave Cox)

Swindon

The cheapest unleaded fuel in Swindon is currently 143.9p per litre and this can be found at Sainsbury's on Oxford Road, Esso on Fleming Way, Tesco on Ocotal Way, Sainsbury's at Bridgemead or Shell on Shaw Road.

The most expensive unleaded is 149.7p per litre and this can be found at BP on Marlborough Road and Asda on the A419 at Cricklade.

Wiltshire

In wider Wiltshire, Trowbridge has the cheapest unleaded fuel priced at 139.9p per litre at Tesco on County Way. 

Chippenham's Leigh Delamere services is the most expensive at 154.9p per litre.

Cirencester

The cheapest fuel in the Cirencester area is Tesco on Cricklade Road in Cirencester and Tesco on London Road in Tetbury. Unleaded fuel at both of these petrol stations is 145.9p per litre.

Reading

The cheapest fuel in the Reading area is at Asda on School Road, where unleaded fuel is 138.7p per litre.