UK: Firms being driven round the bend by soaring fuel prices

WHILE many drivers can either absorb the cost or leave their cars at home, many fuel-dependent businesses are fighting for survival. Last week, a convoy of hauliers took to the streets of London to protest at a further proposed 2p hike in fuel duty.

The protests might not yet be on the scale of those witnessed at Grangemouth and elsewhere at the turn of the century, but the mood is getting uglier as businesses find themselves being squeezed ever tighter.

Road hauliers and other fuel-dependent businesses, such as bus companies, taxis and driving schools, are feeling the pinch more than most.

The Road Hauliers Association (RHA) say local hauliers have seen their overheads increase substantially with the fuel bills now making up over 40 per cent of their total outlay