- Published
Record fuel prices across the country have left people in the south of England looking for ways to cope with the rising costs.
asserted
prices → publish → costs
Earlier this week, the RAC said diesel prices in the UK had reached an all time high, with the cost of petrol also rising, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
asserted
cost → say → East
One garage manager from Berkshire said he had noticed a change in customer behaviour, with customers more likely to put £20 of fuel in, rather than fill their tanks up.
asserted
customers → say → tanks
Meanwhile, a small charity helping people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Dorset said it would have to find ways to cut costs, as it was now costing an extra £2,000 a year to run a key minibus service.
asserted
it → help → service
The MS Centre Dorset runs a fleet of five minibuses, helping users across the county to get to its base in West Parley.
asserted
users → run → Parley
But manager Diana Logan‑Watts said diesel prices had "rocketed so quickly" that the extra costs were "not something that we had budgeted into account".
asserted
we → say → account
On Monday, the RAC said diesel prices had entered "uncharted territory" and served as a reminder of "just how exposed the UK is to events occurring far away".
asserted
UK → say → events
It said diesel prices had hit an all-time high of 199.33p per litre - rising by just under 40% since the US-Israel conflict with Iran erupted at the end of February.
asserted
conflict → say → February
Logan-Watts said this the MS Centre Dorset would "keep on keeping on" despite the vast cost increases, and ensure users could still get to the centre.
uncertain
users → say → centre
"But these rising costs have a knock-on effect, and we don't want to put additional prices and costs onto our members who are already struggling with the cost of living
asserted
who → rise → living
," she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
"So we have to try and absorb those costs elsewhere, and one of those ways is thinking more closely about the additional services that we're able to offer, like trips.
asserted
we → have → trips
"These make a real positive difference to our members lives, but will have to be looked at in more depth and ask where the money's going to come from.
asserted
money → make → depth
It's not just charities in the South feeling the pinch though, with Southampton taxi driver Neil McLean asking "what can we do?" about the soaring costs.
asserted
we → feel → costs
"We've got to earn a living, and none of us are happy," he said.
asserted
he → get → us
"It's not putting money in our pockets, it's taking money out of our pockets - and it needs to stop."
asserted
it → put → pockets
David Price owns Southampton-based DCP Haulage, and said if things did not improve he would have to look at "parking up trucks" or "actually downscaling".
"
asserted
he → own → trucks
We just can't physically afford the fuel prices, we're looking an extra £250 a week per vehicle," Price said.
asserted
Price → afford → vehicle
"We have downscaled a lot lately and we have talked about packing it all up.
asserted
we → downscale → it
"It's not worth it with these prices - you're just not making any money."
asserted
you → make → money
Ian Govier manages the Littlewick Green Motor Company garage in Maidenhead, and said his costs had "gone up dramatically over the years".
asserted
costs → manage → years
"Ten years ago, we'd look at having [a profit margin of] 6p a litre, now I really need close to 15p a litre to still have the same profit," he said.
asserted
he → look → profit
He said he had also spotted customers habits changing, including more using cash as a way to "control their budgets".
asserted
habits → say → budgets
"We are definitely seeing instead of putting your normal £50 pounds in to fill up, a lot of people are now sticking in £10, £20," he said.
asserted
he → see → 10
Amid the increase in costs, Govier said he was also having to tackle thefts - with some using illegal "ghost" registrations to prevent cameras from reading their number plates.
asserted
some → say → plates
He said he had been forced to invest in a new camera system to tackle such thefts, which also "eats into profits".
asserted
which → say → profits
"If you don't have a profit you can't invest in the cameras, you can't invest in your staff, you can't invest in people," he added.
asserted
he → have → people
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Monday, the Chancellor said the time for the government to deal with questions around rising fuel costs would be the Budget - near the end of October.
asserted
government → speak → October
John Healey told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I'm acutely concerned and conscious about how hard it is for families.
asserted
it → tell → families
I see that at the pumps myself.
asserted
I → see → pumps
"We can't remove the cost of living pressures, we can't remove the prices that people are having to pay, but where we can we will act and we will give people just a bit of breathing space, and the same goes for the cost to business."
asserted
same → remove → business
The Aporia
