Cumbrian transport firm's weekly fuel bill skyrockets by £5,000 as petrol prices surge

Paying more at the pump every time we fill up our cars is one of the clearest signs of the cost of living crisis we all face.

Fuel prices have risen by more than 40p per litre over the last year, to new record highs.

Despite the recent five pence cut in fuel duty announced in the Chancellor's spring statement, the cost of petrol and diesel is still increasing.

Cumbrian transport company Hobans are feeling that increase more than most. With around one hundred vehicles in their fleet, even small hikes in price can have big impacts on their budget.

Thomas Taylor, a manager at the company, says its weekly fuel prices are more than £5,000 greater than they were four or five months ago. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed rising prices up even further.

A lot of the services the company provide, such as hospital and school runs, take them off the beaten track into rural areas. Those journeys are becoming more difficult.

Taylor said: "Cumbria itself, middle of nowhere, knows as the sticks, it's hard to get to them. Fuel costs run up, it will have a knock on effect for them. Some of the runs we can't do, the costings are too high."

One of those rural areas is Branthwaite, a village five miles away from Workington. Hobans run a bus service here, but only twice a week. Most people in the village rely on their cars to get around.

Pub landlord Steven Brew says even small journeys are proving costly.

He said: "I'm going to the suppliers every day so it's adding an extra fifteen to twenty pounds on.

"I'm doing six miles there, six miles back then you've got the school runs and because we're out in the middle of nowhere it's costing a fortune."

It's not just fuel either. Brew is changing the food and drink his team serve to avoid passing price increases on to their customers.

Almost everybody is affected by the rising cost of living. Experts expect it to get worse before it gets better, so it could be some time before we start to see shoots of recovery.

Rural communities fear they might become even more cut off.