Businesses and charities are being hit by spiralling fuel prices caused by the Iran war. Last week, diesel prices reached an all-time high and are now about £2 a litre after rising more than 40% since the end of February, with petrol prices climbing nearly 34% in that period. BBC analysis has identified the most expensive fuel stations across the West, as prices vary across more urban and rural areas.
Alex Wood, from charity Freewheelers which delivers medical supplies, said it has had to dip into reserves to keep afloat. Somerset-based Berry's Coaches has called on the government to freeze fuel duty next year after their fuel costs increased by half since the Middle East conflict began. Petrol prices have increased by 8% to 174.8p per litre in the past month, while diesel has risen by 9% to 200.1p per litre.
But in the seven months since the US-Israel conflict with Iran erupted, the jump is even bigger - a nearly 34% increase for petrol and more than 40% for diesel. Man arrested after 'explosives substances' found Families welcome right to challenge A&E care New chapter begins in Hinkley Point B decommissioning In real terms, this is an extra 42.5p per litre of petrol and 59p per litre of diesel. There is variation between different stations in the West too - sometimes as much as 11p per litre for petrol - even if you discount motorway service stations that typically charge a premium.
Alex Wood from the Yeovil branch of Freewheelers, which delivers blood samples and other medical supplies by motorbike, said the impact has been "huge". "This year since January, it's gone up 20% so it's quite a big increase across our operational costs. It's so unpredictable too." The charity is now having to dip into its reserves to keep afloat.
"We're having to do a lot more fundraising so that we can keep operating," Wood said. "We just have to keep going as best we can, we have to keep plodding on." A taxi company based in Stroud in Gloucestershire previously told the BBC the current situation was a "complete nightmare" as it faced "continual pressure to lowball" its prices to stay afloat. Berry's Coaches, which runs five services from the South West to London every day, said its costs have risen by £750,000 this year due to climbing fuel prices.
Berry said it has had "a big impact", but he was confident the company could "weather the storm" as it had done before in its 100-year history. "We've absorbed a lot of that cost ourselves but unfortunately we've had to apply fuel surcharges across a number of our services - a £2 surcharge on each leg of the journey to London," he said. "The government have delayed the rise in fuel duty but relatively that's quite a small impact - it will go up by 5p at some point by 2027.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
