If you've driven through Ilminster recently you might have found yourself doing a double take at a certain petrol forecourt sign.

With fuel prices at an all-time high and ever-creeping towards the £2 per litre mark, glimpsing a 175.9p per litre unleaded price tag is enough to make anyone stop in their tracks.

But with the cost of crude oil coming down, Laurie McKinnon owner of the Texaco garage on Station Road reckons more garages should be lowering their prices.

He said: "The price has been coming down dramatically lately and as long as we make enough to cover our costs we say why not pass it back to people?

"I'd say 80-90 per cent of our year-round trade is from local people and I just think lowering the price is the right thing to do. We just thought it was time to give something back.

"I don't understand why the other sites in the area are not doing the same."

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Pictures of Mr McKinnon's forecourt sign have been spreading on social media like wildfire and he has won many plaudits from thankful people.

With the news spreading, he says the forecourt is rather busy, to say the least.

He said: "People have been coming in to take pictures of the sign as they can't believe it, my friend said he saw a post on Facebook and I couldn't believe how many people had shared it.

"It is getting quite busy on the forecourts now that the word is out, but people are behaving themselves, everyone is respectful and they'll move forward to allow the next customer in.

"Sometimes we lose track of who was on what pump, it's all fun and games.

"My staff have been brilliant though, they have been working so hard and I would like to express my thanks to them."

Mr McKinnon, 40, orders his fuel on a daily basis and has been keeping a close eye on the prices as a result.

He said: "With everything going on in the world, the price of oil became very volatile, but when Boris said he was resigning, the value of the pound went up and that put the price of oil down because we buy it in dollars. 

"I think it should come down even more in the near future, but I don't think we will ever come down to pre-covid levels."