Transport costs rise record 7% as food prices soar at fastest rate in 17 years

Families already struggling to cope with the credit crunch face huge increases in food and transport bills, official figures have revealed today.

The ONS figures showed the highest upward effect on inflation coming from transport costs, mainly due to rising air travel prices on European and long-haul routes.

The annual rate of increase for transport costs reached 7% – the highest since records began in 1997.