Cheaper petrol, diesel from today

The price of unleaded and lead replacement petrol will today be 2c cheaper while the price of diesel will drop by 5c per litre.

The price of unleaded fuel will be 97c per litre while lead replacement petrol will cost €1.04. Diesel will sell at 94c a litre and the price of gas oil dropped from 65c to 61c.

This is the second price cut in almost three months following a surprise 20 per cent drop in petrol and diesel prices last December.

Reacting to the announcement by the Infrastructure Ministry, the Labour Party (PL) said the fuel price reduction was a clear confirmation that the new energy tariffs were a form of robbery.

Two months after the government cut the price of fuel, the prices dropped again to truly reflect the international price of oil, the PL said, adding that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi "hard-headedly" still insisted on charging people the same utility tariffs announced last October. "It seems the government is waiting for a parliamentary debate, initiated by the opposition, before announcing the revised tariffs," it added.