SCOTS DIESEL IS EUROPE'S DEAREST

Farmers and hauliers in the Highlands and Islands pay at least 13p per litre more than the EU average, and 30p per litre more than some eastern European nations.

The SNP said that two-thirds of the price on the forecourt goes to the Treasury, and before taxation the UK actually has the lowest fuel prices.

Westminster transport spokesman Angus MacNeil said diesel on the island of Barra, in his Western Isles constituency, costs £1.20 a litre.

He said: “The Treasury’s tax take on diesel is modern day highway robbery.

“It is a national scandal that, in our oil-rich country we are paying more than 30p a litre more than motorists in Romania.

“Key sectors like the haulage industry are reeling from these forecourt costs. Alistair Darling must use his Pre-Budget report next month to bring down prices.”

According to the Department of Energy, the UK’s average price is 106.9p per litre but in Inverness it is 109p per litre.

The next highest prices are in Slovakia at 97.4p per litre and Germany at 96.1p per litre.