MOTORISTS were hoping for further petrol price cuts today as oil prices slipped to a seven-month low.

In Bolton, prices for unleaded petrol have already fallen to as low as 84.9p - down from a high of 99.7p only a few months ago.

As well as paying just 84.9p for unleaded at petrol stations across Bolton, drivers are now paying just 89.9p a litre for diesel.

Further cuts are likely as rising supplies, a mild hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico and easing tensions in the Middle East have helped to bring prices down.

Mel Caduji, a supervisor at Sainsbury's petrol station on Trinity Street in Bolton said: "The forecourt has been constantly busy and customers are filling up their vehicles. There has been a definite increase in trade."

Bolton motorists are still better off than those in many other parts of the country.

Price comparison website petrolprices.com said yesterday that the UK average price for unleaded petrol had dropped to a new low of 87.4p per litre.

This is a new low for the consumer website which was launched one year ago.

The lowest average price previously reported by the website on December 12, 2005 was 87.6p per litre.

Paul Maunders, co-founder of Petrolprices.com, said:"Not all petrol stations react quickly to lower their prices when the cost of oil falls, which can be demonstrated by a 16p a litre difference for unleaded across UK forecourts."

The fall in prices was sparked by a reduction in the cost of crude oil and started last month when the major supermarket chains knocked 2p off their prices.

Ruth Bridger, a petrol price analyst for AA said that prices had been falling since the end of July.

She added: "The petrol price reduction was kicked off by the supermarkets with Sainsbury's taking the lead.

"Asda, Morrisons and Tesco all followed suit, then Sainsbury's reduced their prices again."