A DROP in fuel prices has seen motorists flock to the pumps in North Yorkshire.

Three main supermarket chains - Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda - this week announced they would drop the prices at their fuelling stations by between one pence and five pence per litre.

Sainsbury's Monks Cross is selling unleaded for 122.9 ppl and diesel for 126.9ppl.

A Tesco spokesman said the drop of up to five pence in diesel and petrol prices at their stations meant "more motorists can make real savings", and their customers could end up saving 20 pence per litre through Clubcard and Fuel Save offers.

However, at the Tesco stores in Clifton Moor and Askham Bar, fuel prices had dropped by just one pence, with unleaded costing 124.9 per litre at the former, and 125.9 at the latter.

Both prices at the Tesco stores yesterday were more expensive than prices at the Jet garage in Lawrence Street (123.9ppl), and marginally more than the Asda store at Monks Cross.

The Asda filling station at Monks Cross joined the company's 231 other forecourts by dropping its prices to 124.7ppl on unleaded and 128.7 on diesel - the lowest price on diesel since July 2012, and a drop of one penny on unleaded.

Graham Kennedy is MD of Innerspace Stations Ltd, which has an independent branch in Hull Road stocking BP fuel, and said most customers saw the drop in prices by the major supermarkets as a simple marketing ploy.

He said: "York is one of the cheapest areas anywhere in the UK for fuel right across the board. I don't think that will change, but we see a loyalty of customers and we don't see people defect because Sainsbury's announce that one day they are going to be super competitive.

"I see supermarkets pricing as simply a ploy to get people through the door, knowing that they will make this money on the first basket of shopping. I'm not criticising it, but I wouldn't go all the way round the city just to go to one particular superstore."