Fuel price war in Ballindine

Fuel price war in Ballindine


Edwin McGreal

IT was the cheapest location in the county in last week’s Mayo News fuel survey but petrol prices in Ballindine have shot down even further.
In our survey last week, we declared that McHugh’s Texaco in Ballindine had the cheapest petrol in the county at €1.28.4 with Hennigan’s Topaz, just up the N17 in the border village, together in second place with four other stations around the county but it turns out that due to faulty electrics, we were wrong.
Hold our hands up we must. Our picture (see left) taken for the survey shows McHugh’s at €1.28.4 but when contacted on Friday last, an employee at McHugh’s confirmed that the sign actually showed the wrong price - due to a faulty bulb!
The actual price was €1.28.9 but a bulb was missing on one side of the sign - just where the four should develop into a nine at the top. Had we taken the picture from the Galway side of the sign, we would have seen it at the actual price of €1.28.9, so too if we had stopped at the pumps to fill up. But we didn’t and so we took the price as displayed on the sign.
Therefore, in error, we handed McHugh’s the title of cheapest petrol in the county when, in fact, they were only the joint cheapest on €1.28.9 together with neighbours Hennigan’s Topaz, Gallagher’s in Charlestown, Freeman’s in Kilkelly and both Cosgrave’s and Cathal Duffy’s Maxol in Castlebar.
But our mistake, a highly understandable one we think you’ll agree, has had one very positive effect in Ballindine - it has led to a fuel price war between McHugh’s and Hennigan’s.
All of which means motorists filling up on the borderline are getting clearly the best value for money around.
When The Mayo News hit the shelves last Tuesday, McHugh’s responded to being quoted as €1.28.4 by actually bringing their prices down to that price. Hennigan’s hit back by dropping a full cent off their €1.28.9 price and so it had began.
Before the week was out, McHugh’s had come down to €1.27.4 and Hennigan’s matched that.
So in the space of a few days, a full cent and a half has been taken off both stations in Ballindine.
An expensive missing bulb you’d have to conclude.