COMPLAINTS have been made which suggest the price of fuel in the district is much higher than elsewhere.

Residents in the area have been unhappy about the high fuel prices for months.

People in Essex have taken part in protests on the A12 to show their frustration.

The average petrol price is about 176.2 pence per litre and the price of diesel averages about 186.9.

Members of the public told the Maldon and Burnham Standard that Tesco and Morrisons in Maldon have been "ripping off customers for years”.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

A man from Maldon, who wished to remain anonymous, said “There was a 14 pence per litre difference between Morrisons in Maldon and Morrisons in Witham.”

He said that Morrisons in Maldon "isn’t any cheaper” and he “won’t be supporting either of them”.

There were more than 100 comments on a Facebook post discussing the prices of fuel in the area, with many claiming the prices were significantly more in Maldon than anywhere else in Essex.

Morrisons has said that prices can change within small distances.

A spokesperson said: "In the UK petrol prices vary from town to town and even neighbourhood to neighbourhood and we will always strive to be competitive in each local area we operate in."

Tesco are hoping to offer a change to the price of fuel at all UK stations.

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A Tesco spokesperson said: “We regularly monitor fuel prices throughout a local area to ensure we’re providing competitive prices for our customers.”

Tesco has said that prices are expected to reduce from now “with the price of unleaded set to fall by an average of 6.5p, and the price of diesel by an average of 4.5p".

Tesco chief product officer Ashwin Prasad said: "We know how tough rising fuel bills have been for households across the UK, and so we hope that these price cuts will go some way to help - particularly as more families head out on their summer holidays this week."