MOTORISTS filling up at Tesco in St Neots are once again being charged more – up to seven pence a litre– for their fuel than their customers using the supermarket s filling stations elsewhere in the district. Two years ago The Hunts Post published a seri

MOTORISTS filling up at Tesco in St Neots are once again being charged more - up to seven pence a litre- for their fuel than their customers using the supermarket's filling stations elsewhere in the district.

Two years ago The Hunts Post published a series of article highlighting the difference.

However, the disparity is back and St Neots motorists are once again losing out.

The difference has sparked complaints about Tesco's pricing policy, and has driven St Neots Town Councillor Steve van der Kerkhove to lodge an official complaint with the supermarket.

Cllr van der Kerkhove, who led a campaign against high Tesco fuel prices in St Neots in October 2008, said that Tesco's pricing policy was "taking advantage" of motorists in St Neots.

"We are back where we were two years ago - Tesco is profiting from the ignorance of people who may not know they can get cheaper petrol elsewhere. The people of St Neots are getting fleeced," he said.

"You can't blame independent garages for following their pricing, but I think Tesco should be setting a better example."

Derrick Davies, of Ferrars Avenue in Eynesbury, wrote to The Hunts Post to point out the disparity between Tesco stores in Huntingdonshire.

"I often travel around and it seems that no matter where I go, the petrol is 3p a litre cheaper. In the past the supermarkets have told us it's because of travel costs, but it can't cost that much more to deliver to St Neots, because we are right on the A1," he said.

"They seem to be testing the market, edging prices up slowly to see how much they can get for a gallon round here.

"And the cheapest of the lot is Tesco in Ramsey - it makes a mockery of Tesco's claims for it to be the first carbon neutral store if people are producing more CO2 by driving all the way to Ramsey to fill up on the cheaper petrol. I could spend �3 on fuel to drive there and save �4.50 when I fill my car up.

"They tell us that every little helps, but it works both ways."

A spokesman for Tesco said that the company operated a local pricing policy for each individual store.

He added: "We work very hard to keep our petrol prices down all over the country. We operate a local pricing policy, the same way as every other petrol retailer, and aim to be competitive wherever we are located.