NRMA president Kyle Loades said the recent drop in petrol prices in Maitland was largely due to a campaign by the Mercury and the NRMA to have Maitland and Newcastle separated into their own categories on the weekly price watch listings.

Given that there has been a difference of as much as 20c/l between the price of unleaded petrol in Maitland and Newcastle in recent months, there have been concerns that including the two regions in one category had given motorists an inaccurate picture of fuel prices in Maitland.

Read what the Mercury has to say here

In only its second week as a stand-alone region in the listing, Maitland recorded 123.7c/l – the cheapest average price for unleaded fuel in the state.

“It’s very good news for long-suffering Maitland motorists,” Mr Loades said.

“It’s because of the spotlight put on the issue by your good newspaper and the NRMA.

“We believe motorists in Maitland have been paying too much. We need to keep the spotlight and pressure on.”

Newcastle came in at fourth place last week with an average price of 128.8c/l, while the Central Coast registered 135.7c/l and Sydney had an average of 140.8c/l.

The news came after the Mercury suggested that the NRMA should approach Informed Sources, the company that collects and distributes petrol price data nationwide, to ask for Maitland to be listed as its own category.

Prices in Maitland and much of the Hunter had been included in the Newcastle category until late last month.

Maitland debuted on the price watch list as a solo entity in the second-last week in August, when it placed fifth on the list with an average price of 132.4c/l.

The Mercury has run several stories in recent months to highlight the issue of high petrol prices, including comparisons of fuel prices between Maitland and Newcastle.

There was a 34c/l difference between the cheapest and most expensive petrol in the Hunter on August 11, according to the NRMA.