Busfares are to rise in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The bus firm that runs most passenger services in Brighton and Hove has said it will "certainly" be forced to put up ticket prices because of escalating fuel costs.

Flooding caused by the hurricane has severely damaged American oil refineries.

It has been estimated the fallout could send petrol prices soaring to as high as £1 a litre.

Increases will also be felt by companies reliant on diesel, such as Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company.

The firm has predicted it will have to increase fares by January.

Operations director Paul Williams said the company would "undoubtedly" by affected by the situation. He said: "Fuel has already risen by 30 per cent for us in the past year.

"We have tried to keep fares down as far as we are able.

"We have already made certain adjustments. Certainly between now and January, there will have to be further adjustments.

"We will obviously try to keep it as low as possible."

He estimated the increase could be about five per cent. It would be implemented in stages, a few routes at a time.

Brighton and Hove Buses, owned by the Go-Ahead travel group, runs services across Sussex, including about 95 per cent of those in the city of Brighton and Hove. Passengers pay £1.40 for a standard adult single fare or £2.60 for a saver ticket which allows unlimited travel for a day.

A theoretical five per cent increase would increase this to £1.47 or £2.73.

The company owns 270 buses and uses 1.5 million gallons of fuel a year, which adds up to about ten per cent of its total costs.

Stagecoach, which runs many of the remaining buses in the Brighton and Hove area, said it had no immediate plans to put up fares but could not rule out an increase.

A spokesman said that as a larger company it had secured contracts that kept down the amount it paid for fuel.

He said: "We have fuel hedging arrangements in place to mitigate the impact of the swings and roundabouts of fuel prices.

"Obviously, we would keep things under review in the current climate but we don't have any plans to put up fares."

Fuel accounts for eight or nine per cent of Stagecoach's costs, with about two thirds of its outgoings spent on salaries.

A spokesman for Southern Trains said the situation would not push up train fares as the firm was only allowed to increase ticket prices, on average, by one per cent more than the annual increase in the retail price index. A new diesel service planned between Ashford, Kent and Brighton will reduce fares on that line.