Record low number of forecourts

23 March 2010
There are fewer petrol stations in the UK than ever before, research has found

The number of petrol stations in the UK has fallen drastically to stand at less than a quarter of the number that existed in the 1960s.

The Energy Institute poll found that while the number of forecourts actually rose slightly in 2008, it had fallen to 9,013 by the end of 2009.

With car ownership continuing to rise, each forecourt was now responsible for supplying an average of 3,795, the research said.

Elsewhere, 2009 saw petrol sales fall by 383,000 tonnes to 16.29 million tonnes, while diesel sales also dropped 217,000 tonnes to 12.65 million tonnes.

The five largest oil company operations by number of branded forecourts were BP (1,179 forecourts), Texaco (999), Shell (930), Esso (900), and Total (818).

The all-time UK record for the number of petrol stations stands at 39,958, a figure recorded in 1967.

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