Petrol price war? Three supermarkets cut prices by 3p or 4p a litre

Motorists are hoping that Sainsbury's has sparked a supermarket fuel price war (Getty Images)

Hard-pressed motorists received some respite today when three supermarkets announced fuel-price cuts.

Sainsbury's said that from tomorrow, petrol prices at the company's 279 forecourts will dip by 4p a litre, with diesel being reduced by 3p a litre.

Asda said that from tomorrow it would be cutting its petrol by up to 3p a litre and its diesel by up to 2p a litre, ensuring motorists would pay no more than 134.7p a litre for petrol and 141.7p a litre for diesel.

And Tesco also announced it was cutting the price of both petrol and diesel by 3p.

Sainsbury's head of fuel Richard Crampton said: "We know that fuel is a big part of many customers' weekly budget so we're keen to do anything we can to help."

Andy Peake, Asda's petrol trading director, said: " When we do drop prices, we drop them everywhere, setting a maximum national price cap for our customer, which means they all benefit from our low prices, regardless of where they live."

Peter Cattell, of Tesco, said: "Tesco is dropping the price of both petrol and diesel by up to 3p per litre from tomorrow morning. "

PA