Soaring fuel costs are putting businesses across Sussex under pressure.

Many transport and delivery services say they will be forced to raise their prices to cope with the latest fuel hikes.

With the cost of a litre of petrol having broken the £1 barrier in parts of the county, rapidly-increasing fuel prices are causing concern.

Tony Bunker, 57, a partner of courier company AJ Express in Brighton, said: "We put our prices up by a penny a mile last month, which just about covered the increases then.

"But in the last month diesel has gone up by another four to six pence and it's due to go through the pound barrier this week."

Mr Bunker said there was a good chance he would have to raise prices again in the near future.

He said: "We'll hold out for a few weeks and see what happens."

Haulier Andrew Brooks, 44, a director of Brook Hadley Contractors in Wivelsfield Green, had a similar story.

He said: "The price of diesel has gone up about 23 per cent since July 2004 and that puts the running costs of a lorry up by almost seven per cent. At the moment we're struggling - prices will have to go up."

Taxi drivers have found the situation more difficult because they are unable to raise their prices.

Andy Johnston, 40, a driver for Castle Cars in Arundel, said: "Our tariffs are set yearly. With three or four rises since the tariffs were last set in April, all our profits are down."

Sussex Enterprise, the business support organisation, said the Government should act in support of small businesses.

Director of membership Danny Roberts said: "Another sharp rise in petrol prices will have a huge impact on small businesses which are already facing a tougher economic climate."

"The Government should be taking steps now to alleviate the burden on businesses.

"In the short term it should reduce taxes on fuel in line with other European countries."

Voluntary organisations are also suffering. Trevor Weeks, of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service, said: "More and more of our volunteers are saying they cannot afford to pay for their fuel. The cost is rising so fast our budget for it has already been spent."

Recent price increases have been put down to Hurricane Katrina affecting oil supplies.

But a spokesman for the AA Motoring Trust said: "Katrina isn't the only reason.

"There was a rise in crude oil prices about a month ago that has taken its time to work through to the pumps."

The Argus reported yesterday that the most expensive place to fill up was MJ Petrol Station in Old Mill Drive, Storrington, where a litre of unleaded petrol costs 104.9p.

The price boards have been covered and customers have to check the pump for details because staff can't fit all the numbers on.

Owner James Williams cancelled a delivery of 4,000 litres of super unleaded because he would have had to sell it at 112.9p a litre to profit. He hopes prices might drop again within a fortnight.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005