Fuel price hike worries hauliers

The Road Haulage Association has warned that UK hauliers face a “winter of discontent” with the news that storms in the Gulf of Mexico have halted oil production in the region.

As a result, crude oil had traded at a record high, nearly $82 a barrel, by the end of last week.

In the UK, PetrolPrices.com quoted a national average of £0.971 a litre. The RHA said the news will mean an inevitable fuel price rise and so wants the UK government to hold off its planned two pence a litre fuel duty hike, which has been mooted for October. "There can now be no argument that this increase is completely unjustifiable," said Roger King, RHA boss.