VALDOSTA — Gasoline prices slipped in Valdosta last week, following the same trend as national and state prices, according to statistics.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the city Sunday was $2.43, a drop of five cents from the previous Sunday average of $2.48, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

The lowest gasoline price reported in Valdosta Sunday was $2.30 a gallon at a retailer on U.S. 84, according to the price tracking website gasbuddy.com.

Nationally, the average gasoline price Sunday was $2.58, two cents lower than the average from seven days earlier, while Georgia’s average of $2.46 was three cents lower in the same period, according to gasbuddy,

In Friday market action, benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.95, or 3.2 percent, to settle at $59.20 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has not been below $60 a barrel since Dec. 28. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slid $2.02, or 3.1 percent, to close at $62.79 in London.

In other energy futures trading, wholesale gasoline fell 7 cents to $1.70 a gallon. Heating oil shed 7 cents to $1.86 a gallon. Natural gas fell 11 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $2.58 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.