UK households could go bankrupt and be forced to sell their homes due to soaring fuel costs, Andy Burnham has been warned. Diesel has become the most expensive it has ever been in the UK after passing £2 a litre amid chaos in the Middle East.
Haulage driver's stark warning
Howard Cox, founder of the campaign group FairFuelUK, which fights to keep petrol and diesel affordable for Britain's motorists, has relayed a warning from one of its supporters, an owner-driver in the aggregates sector. The driver said: "I am writing as an owner-driver of a large HGV subcontracting in the aggregates industry, where it's impossible to secure a haulage rate increase to cover full costs.
"I'm paying an extra £1,800 a month for fuel. It's only a matter of time before hard-working truck owners like me go bankrupt, losing our homes."
The driver added: "As a FairFuelUK supporter and as one of the millions of motorists who contribute over £70 billion to the Treasury every year — through Fuel Duty, VAT on fuel, Vehicle Excise Duty, parking and penalty charges, congestion and clean-air zone fees, and other road-related taxes — we deserve better than this."
Call for immediate Fuel Duty cut
Mr Cox said: "Diesel has smashed through £2 per litre, and the Government is still twiddling its thumbs. Every day they delay costs drivers money they simply don't have. A 10p cut in Fuel Duty would put instant cash back into people's pockets — over £6 for a family car and thousands for a 44-ton truck."
Mr Cox also called on the Government to act immediately, saying: "Waiting until October 28 is not leadership; it's negligence. Act now, cut duty now, and stop hammering Britain's motorists, hauliers and farmers."
Burnham says drivers must wait for Budget
On Friday, Mr Burnham said that drivers must "wait until the Budget" to find out whether fuel duty will be cut to tackle soaring diesel prices. He warned "world events" were behind the rising cost of fuel at the pump and told BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire's Tim Iredale that people were being asked to pay "too much for the basics in this country – for housing, for water".
