MISLEADING
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I refer to your article headed "Diesel prices set to climb" (CM 24-30 August).
The current trend is causing very serious problems for the industry and publicity related to this is very welcome.
I was, however, very concerned with the comment you made in the third paragraph—that there had been a drop of 5p per litre at the pump. In terms of bulk prices there certainly has been rio such drop—just the opposite! Most haulage companies are now in discussion with their customers to try to recover the extra cost of fuel.
The statement that there had been a temporary reduction of 5p would potentially undermine the outcome of such negotiations. It is important that your statements are accurate and representative for your readers—that is, bulk diesel users. If someone somewhere saw a roadside pump price change by 5p, it was certainly not representative of what is actually going on.
1 Ramsay,
Wtsbech. Cambs.
III We stand by the fact that during August our local pump prices had fallen to below (10p /lit from a high of B5p, although they have risen slightly again since.
The pricing monitor run by a leading oil company confirms the average pump price fell by around 3.5p in the six weeks following the peak at the beginning of July. But we are equally aware that the trend for bulk prices has been in the opposite direction—only the oil companies can explain this one—Ed.