Stories

Tue, 22 Sep 2026

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 Soaring fuel costs hit small businesses

It comes as fuel prices reach their highest since 2022, driven by conflict in the Middle East.

* Noel Lewis, owner of a Worcestershire haulage company, says he's facing £1,200 per week in extra fuel costs due to rising prices.
* Small businesses like his are struggling to compete with larger firms that have "bigger buying power on their fuel".
* Lewis and his wife had to take wage cuts to keep money in the business and avoid passing price increases onto customers.
* Individual drivers are also being affected, with some paying up to £120 per tank of fuel.
* The government has extended a 5p fuel duty cut and introduced a 12-month road tax "holiday" for hauliers, but Lewis says it's not enough.
* Fuel prices have reached their highest point since 2022, driven by conflict in the Middle East.