6 hours ago
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Small businesses are bearing the brunt of rising fuel prices, the owner of a haulage company has said.
Noel Lewis, who runs Lewis Light Haulage & Storage in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, said he was having to absorb thousands of pounds a month in extra costs due to the price of fuel.
His comments come as fuel prices - driven by conflict in the Middle East - reach their highest point since 2022, with diesel averaging at £1.92 per litre according to the RAC.
A Treasury spokesperson said the government continued "to protect the British people and businesses from this crisis".
"This means drivers benefit from the extension of the 5p fuel duty cut, with diesel 11p per litre cheaper until the end of the year than it would have been compared to plans inherited from the previous government," they added.
Hauliers would also benefit from a 12-month road tax "holiday", the spokesperson said.
With six vehicles run by his company, Lewis said he was now facing around £1,200 in extra fuel costs per week.
Smaller businesses like his, he said, were now struggling to compete with larger firms with "bigger buying power on their fuel".
"They have the economies of scale working in their favour [...] if you put your prices up somebody might come in and be able to suffer that cost for a few weeks, just to knock you out the game," he said.
