Is it war profiteering?

Profiting from war is an appalling practice but isn’t new.

However the Esso garage on Churchill Way in Macclesfield appears to be plumbing new depths in the practice.

Within three days of the war in the Ukraine starting they’d increased diesel by around 5p per litre.

Another two days and it’s increased a further 10p to £1.73.

As I pass the filling station four or five times a day I reckon I’d know if they’d had a delivery within the past week – I’m fairly confident they haven’t.

Now the price they paid for fuel in their storage tanks isn’t increasing – they’ll only be paying increased costs when they get their next fuel delivery – so why the increases?

Simple – profiteering.

If there was around 50% left in their storage tanks when the war started that could amount to 50,000 litres.

Increasing the price on the forecourt from £1.58 to £1.73 equates to 15 pence per litre or £7,500 additional revenue.

It’s an appalling practice at the best of times, but profiteering from the Ukrainian people’s misery is reprehensible.

Churchill Way has been my filling station of choice since I bought a diesel car – from now on I’ll be filling up elsewhere.