Last week Nick Clegg was told by supermarket Morrisons that one in five mothers skip a meal a day to provide for their children (with one of their biggest concerns being the price of petrol).

This is a sad testament to the pressures real families are under, but still our government remains deaf to these pleading voices.

Robert Halfon, the MP for Harlow, is a rare breed of minister who seems to actually understand real family concerns: “In my constituency [petrol prices are] the number one issue,” he said. “No one talks to me about Rupert Murdoch, they talk about petrol and utility prices.

“High petrol prices are crushing families when they take their children to school or shopping and are crushing businesses.”

The average UK petrol price is still at an all time high of 142.48p per litre, and yet the Chancellor is adamant he will raise fuel duty by another 3p per litre in August.  So that’ll mean for every litre of petrol you buy, 85p will be going straight to the treasury. It’s simply not acceptable when there are people struggling to feed their family.

Our friends at FairFuelUK are right when they say there is a ‘political disconnect’. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Cabinet are out of touch and ignorant of how badly this is affecting the British public.

That’s why we’re backing the fight against the political disconnect. You can show your support too by filling in the survey, ‘Why Our Politicians Need to Act on Fuel Duty’.

Do it, and tell our government to scrap the proposed fuel duty increase.

Thank you, rant over (for now…).

Yesterday we heard the official news that the UK economy grew by just 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012, effectively putting Britain back into recession.

But this should come as no surprise to followers of this blog as this outcome was predicted even before the Chancellor’s budget came out (21 March) by national campaign group FairFuelUK, (who we also work with, alongside the Road Haulage Association (RHA), RAC and Freight Transport Association).

Working with FairFuelUK, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) compiled a pre-budget report showing a modest cut in fuel duty of 2.5 pence per litre would actually create 175,000 new jobs and would, on its own, boost GDP by 0.33 percent.

Unfortunately, George Osborne ignored that advice.

Yesterday, RHA Chief Executive, Geoff Dunning, summed up the disappointment we all felt: “If the Government would heed our advice and address the issue of fuel duty once and for all, this is a situation that could almost certainly have been avoided.

“Users of petrol and diesel fuels are desperate to see a reduction in fuel duty. The price of a tank of fuel would reduce and the subsequent savings would be put back into the economy, giving trade the boost it so desperately needs.”

Perhaps most detrimental is that Government is continuing to ignore the advice of experts and still plans on raising fuel duty 3p a litre in August. Is this a case of Mr Osborne throwing good money after bad – our money – in a stubborn and frankly flawed way of escaping this recession?

Despite the disappointment the FairFuelUK campaign has endured by the hands of this blinkered Government, it is continuing the fight for cheaper prices at the forecourt to help our businesses, our families and communities and to help our economy. At least someone is looking after us!

To show your support and join the fight, sign up at www.fairfueluk.com.

Usually at this time of the year we advise our readers on the ‘joys’ of bank holiday driving and how to conserve their fuel on long journeys – did you know that around 77 percent of us Brits usually travel over Easter, spending four hours and 30 minutes in the car, travelling a distance of 220 miles?

But alas this year, after the Government sparked the craziest fuel panic buying we can remember, many of us just don’t think it’s worth the bother.

The AA has predicted there will be two million fewer motorists taking to the road this bank holiday weekend because of record high petrol prices and lingering anxieties about fuel supplies.

Before the mad fuel panic, record average petrol prices were set at 140.9p per litre for unleaded and 147.1p per litre for diesel. But last week saw prices rise up to 10p per litre higher than this, sparking accusations of forecourts profiteering from the panic buying.

Even more damning is the suggestion the Treasury enjoyed a £33million tax windfall from the extra fuel sales – the chaos was fuelled by its own poor advice in the first place!

If fuel prices remain at these record levels, families could find filling a 50-litre tank will cost them £4.39 more than this time last year and £11.30 more than two years ago.

Paul Watters, an AA spokesman, has said: “Many of the drivers who felt compelled to fill their tanks to the brim last week now face another £70 or more hit if they set off on a driving break this Easter.”

But it’s not just petrol prices scaring off would-be holidaymakers this spring. The weather’s been torrid and unpredictable – flip flops one week, snow boots the next.

Traffic in the north east of England was brought to a standstill yesterday by gale-force winds, snow sleet and rain, while the M62 motorway between Manchester and Huddersfield closed due to 10 HGVs becoming stranded in blizzards. In Oldham a snowplough had to be dug out by mountain rescue.

The AA says journeys will peak today, on Maundy Thursday, but four in ten of its members will be staying at home this Easter. This spells bad news for businesses that rely on tourist spending.

With no let-up in the fuel price war that continues to wage since the Chancellor failed to implement desperately fought-for fuel duty cuts in last week’s Budget, we are now facing threats to the very fuel supplies we’re paying through the teeth for.

Workers’ union Unite announced on Tuesday (27 March) that 69 percent of the 2,000 balloted tanker drivers from seven different companies had voted in favour of industrial action over working conditions and health and safety.

The Government opposed the move, describing strike action as “wrong and unnecessary”, and demanded that Unite, the workers and their employers sit around a table to resolve any disputes. Conciliation service Acas has been drafted in to try and make this happen.

Be that as it may, the strike may still go ahead and drivers are now being warned to stockpile fuel to avoid any impact on their daily lives and businesses.  There have even been hints that trained military personnel could be used to drive tankers in the workers’ place. If it comes to it.

We’re not talking jerrycans like the cabinet minister Francis Maude, who advised drivers on Wednesday they should stock “maybe a little bit in the garage as well in a jerrycan”. This advice came under justified criticism by the Fire Brigades Union and the AA, which highlighted that, at a capacity of 20 litres, a jerrycan contains more than the official limit to safely store fuel in the home.

By the same token we appreciate that it is a sensible precaution to stockpile some fuel in case of emergencies, but the reaction from motorists across the country has been unprecedented – panic buying, queues at petrol stations and forecourts emptied of their supplies.

Today’s advice from Energy Minister Ed Davey is that drivers should refill tanks when half empty, after the Prime Minister was accused of being vague in saying drivers should stay “topped up”.

Fingers-crossed that these disputes are solved before the situation escalates though, as not every driver can afford to refill their tank as soon as it reaches the halfway mark. We will keep you updated on the situation at www.fuelcards.co.uk

Phew, what an eventful week it has been in the world of fuel price campaigning. Let us bring you up to speed…

It began with national campaign group FairFuelUK, whose major sponsors are The Fuelcard Company, the Road Haulage Association, RAC and Freight Transport Association, attending a meeting on fuel duty issues with HM Revenue & Customs and Economic Secretary Chloe Smith MP.

Meanwhile, Chancellor George Osborne gave perhaps his strongest hint yet that he does NOT plan to cut fuel duty in the forthcoming Spring Budget. Speaking in an interview on Sky News, Osborne appeared to rule out any further fuel duty cuts, commenting that previous measures to tackle fuel duty have already made a difference.

But defeat is simply not an option for FairFuelUK. In fact, it cranked up its campaign several gears by giving a preview of a major report suggesting that a cut in fuel duty is exactly what this economy needs to get back on its feet.

The official figures in question are to be published this week by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and suggest that a cut of 2.5p per litre would create 180,000 jobs in the first year at no net tax loss and boost GDP by 0.33 percent.  A ‘bolder’ 5ppl cut would create another 30,000 jobs. How can the Chancellor, despite his earlier words, NOT sit up and take notice of these figures?

National spokesman for FairFuelUK, Quentin Willson, said: “We’ve been saying this all along and now we can prove it.  This conclusively backs up our claim that a cut in fuel duty will boost the economy without harming Treasury revenues.  Quite rightly, the Chancellor’s priority is on stimulating growth in order to pay down the deficit.  Here is a way to do both.”

The Fuelcard Company’s sales and marketing director, Jakes de Kock, meanwhile, reminded motorists and the Government that “taxes and fuel duty currently account for 60 percent of unleaded petrol and 58 percent of diesel”.

“The plea for a fairer tax system for UK companies reliant on fuel to keep their businesses moving, is a worthy and necessary cause and impacts every consumer in the UK,” he said.

The Fuelcard Company will give its wholehearted support to FairFuelUK in the battle it faces over the coming weeks – what about you?

FairFuelUK will be conducting a major lobby of MPs outside the Houses of Parliament on 7 March (National FairFuel Day), giving a public stage to the fight for fairer fuel prices and fuel duty reforms. We will be involved in this public demonstration, as will hundreds of motorists and businesses struggling under the burden of soaring fuel prices.

To find out more about the campaign and to pledge your support (perhaps you even fancy a slice of the action?), visit: www.fairfueluk.com

What do four pints of milk, a pack of apples, 1kg potatoes, a box of Sugar Puffs and a litre of diesel have in common? They all cost £1.43. Yes, you heard correct, diesel is now a record 143p per litre. Madness! How are transport and fleet companies expected to survive with this ever increasing overhead?

We checked out the AA’s Monthly Fuel Price Report for January 2011 which showed the average diesel price at 132p per litre – that means we’ve seen a 12p per litre rise over the last twelve months. Ok, so you might not think 12p is a lot in the grand scheme of things, but consider the average size of vehicle fuel tanks:

• Average two-litre car holds approximately 80 litres of fuel per tank
• Transit LCV van – 150 litres of fuel per tank
• Sprinter van – 200 litres per tank
• Standard HGV – 250 litres per tank
• Double HGV – 480 litres per tank

That’s an increase of between £9.60 and £57.60 per tank, depending on your vehicle. Now consider the impact if you have a fleet of vehicles; it’s simply unsustainable. We spoke to David Allen, partner at C S Allen and Sons, who said: “I’m literally turning work away because I don’t want to spend money on fuel. It’s cheaper not to do some of the work because the cost of the fuel is so high. The way things are at the minute, customers are going to have to pay more for the service we provide or we’ll all be out of business.”

Unsurprisingly, a recent survey has shown drivers cite high fuel prices as the most annoying thing about motoring in Britain today. More than 40 percent of all motorists say soaring petrol or diesel prices annoy them the most, the research from breakdown cover provider Autonational Rescue found.

However, the bad news is that analysts are predicting this is only going to get worse after oil-rich Iran announced it was cutting exports at once to Britain and France in retaliation for EU sanctions over its nuclear programme. The cost of a barrel of crude hit an eight-month high of $121 earlier this week and motorists were warned pump prices could shoot up by 20p per litre within six weeks.

On top of this, the Government has planned a 14 pence a gallon rise in petrol and diesel tax in August. Our economy simply can’t sustain this and it would lead to surging unemployment, a return to recession, a growing deficit and years of economic misery. It could make us the next Greece.

Join The Fuelcard Company and FairFuelUK in our call for Chancellor George Osborne to cut fuel duty in next month’s Budget, and helps us show them a cut in fuel duty will create jobs, stimulate growth and generate extra tax revenue as a result.  In other words, it’s in the Government’s own interest to cut fuel taxes – even they will be better off!

For more details and to find out how you can help, visit www.fairfueluk.com

The Fuelcard Company is proud to have been announced as a headline sponsor of FairFuelUK and act for more than 200,000 people and thousands of businesses in the campaign for fairer fuel prices.

As world events cause the steepest rise in wholesale diesel and petrol prices the UK has ever seen and more and more motorists are forced out of their vehicles. The Fuelcard Company has joined other major sponsors, the Road Haulage Association, RAC and Freight Transport Association to champion fairer fuel prices for all UK drivers.

In the run-up to the Spring Budget on 21 March, FairFuelUK will keep pressure on the Government to cut fuel duty further to stimulate the economy and introduce reforms to ensure taxation of petrol and diesel is kept fair. In 2012, the campaign will continue its success of 2011 with the first ever National FairFuel Day scheduled for Wednesday 7^th March. FairFuelUK supporters are invited to attend a mass lobby at Westminster which will allow them to exercise their rights to enter Parliament and ask to see their local MP to support cutting fuel duty.

According to the AA, motorists are now facing a further 2p a litre fuel price hike at the pumps which could take diesel prices to a new record high. And there may be more to come as petrol retailers warn that threats to international supply could push prices up further.

Motorists are already changing their driving behaviour in a big way as a direct result of soaring fuel prices. A poll by insurance broker Hastings Direct has seen nearly half of drivers reduce their weekly journeys by at least 25 miles, and one in five drivers would give up their cars altogether if prices rise above £2 a litre.

On 25 January, FairFuelUK and its ‘Big Four’ took the fuel price fight to the House of Commons and the first meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Fuel for Motorists and Hauliers. The group confirmed campaign aims for 2012: to cut fuel duty to stimulate the economy and reform the way in which fuel duty is charged.

The campaign has already led to Chancellor George Osborne scrapping the planned 3p fuel duty rise this month and a reduction in August’s planned fuel duty rise from 5p to 3p – to date the FairFuelUK campaign has saved motorists 9p per litre in duty (nearly 11p per litre including VAT). However, FairFuelUK has warned more must be done to protect families and businesses struggling with the high cost of petrol and diesel.

Jakes de Kock, Sales and Marketing Director at The Fuelcard Company, said: “I am very pleased to renew our commitment to supporting the FairFuelUK campaign. The plea for a fairer tax system for UK companies reliant on fuel to keep their businesses moving, is a worthy and necessary cause and impacts every consumer in the UK. The price of fuel affects UK competitiveness and raises the price of everything we buy in the shops.”

As FairFuelUK counts down to the March Budget, now is the time to make a difference and stop this fuel tax gravy train before it derails.

To support the FairFuelUK campaign and sign its petition to cut fuel duty, visit: www.fairfueluk.com

Worrying news for the fuel industry came this week in the shape of Petroplus, Europe’s largest independent oil refiner, announcing it is to file for insolvency.

As shares in Petroplus were suspended, so too were fuel supplies by the Coryton refinery in Essex, which is owned by the beleaguered oil giant. Unfortunately, it also supplies around 20 percent of London and the south east’s petrol. The question that springs to our mind is: what will the fall-out be, regionally and nationally, of one of the UK’s largest refineries stopping its taps?

Despite assurances from analysts and spokespeople that this shortfall will be made up for by other refineries in the south, this news will no doubt shake the industry and individual businesses already fighting to keep their heads above water.

And it’s not just national fuel supplies on the line. Coryton refinery directly employs about 500 staff and 350 contractors. Hundreds more Petroplus jobs elsewhere in the country are also at risk.

All in all, it’s been a bleak week for the oil industry. The EU has just approved sanctions to boycott fuel from Iran. And in the north of England, petrol supplies to Jet stations are under threat after fuel truck workers began a seven-day strike over pay and pensions  outside the ConocoPhillips-owned Humber oil refinery.

Peter Carroll of campaign group FairFuelUK, warned that petrol and diesel prices at the pumps could both pass £1.50 per litre “within days”.

“This could be the tipping point,” he told the Express. “The toxic combination of the situation with Iran, the Wincanton drivers’ strike and the Coryton refinery closure will be very dangerous.”

He also warned of further problems brought about by the “temptation to panic buy and profiteering”.

We don’t know about you, but all this has left us with a dreadful sinking feeling that the darkest days for the transport industry may indeed lie ahead…

To sign the national petition for fairer fuel prices, visit www.fairfueluk.com

This campaign has the backing of The Fuelcard Company, the Road Haulage Association, RAC and the Freight Transport Association.

You’ll remember we wrote about fuel fraud last October after watching the BBC Panorama documentary ‘The Great British Fuel Robbery’ – we hope you were paying attention. Bit of an update for you: the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in London is currently investigating fuel fraud and yesterday Environment Minister Alex Attwood announced there has been a significant decline in prosecutions, convictions and penalties against those involved in fuel smuggling.

This sounds promising, perhaps Panorama has scared the petrol pilferers off??? But alas, no, this  is unlikely to be as a result of less activity on the police’s part who have said ’targeting major crime gangs has become a priority’ meaning the actions of fuel fraudsters may have got lost in the mix. It seems as if people are often too afraid to report these crimes, and there’s even been talk of the understanding policeman on the beat perhaps turning a blind eye while pump prices continue to soar?

Panorama suggested businesses are being forced to question their morality and weigh up keeping their business afloat against the implications of sourcing cheap, and mostly illegal, fuel.

Although using illegal fuel, such as rebated heavy oil (red diesel) or fuel bought from questionable garages, can seem like an attractive way to immediately lower fuel expense, especially as diesel prices continue to spiral, drivers mustn’t forget the legal ramifications for those caught using illicit fuel. Red dye diesel is for use only by farmers and building contractors for off-road vehicles.  It’s against the law to run a vehicle on red diesel if it’s registered to be on the road and the owners of cars found to be running on red diesel can be given a £500 on-the-spot fine and are likely to have the vehicle seized by customs officers.

Panorama reported that some crafty fuel thieves are filtering the red dye out of rebated heavy oil and re-selling back to drivers – this filtered fuel can seriously damage a vehicle’s engine and can still be identified as contraband by HMRC officials.

Not really worth it is it? Especially if you consider that using a fuel card can give you significant savings on fuel. We can help you control your fuel costs and, when using a fixed-price fuel card, you could save on average 2 to 3 pence on diesel pump prices.

So instead of giving in to the swindlers, you can ensure you reclaim 100 percent of VAT on business fuel expenses with a fuel card on www.fuelcards.co.uk. Sounds like a plan!

We are generally a fairly cool and calm bunch here at The Fuelcard Company, however a report out today made us want to throw our lunchtime burrito out of the window. The TaxPayer’s Alliance has calculated that drivers are paying £18bn a year in ‘excess’ taxes which are not re-invested in roads or environmental measures. That’s an additional £293 per person every year – a significant amount when families are struggling to balance the books and juggle the cost of rising fuel and food prices with shrinking pay cheques!

What’s more, if these extra taxes are not being spent on fixing the crumbling road network or implementing much-needed congestion measures, what on earth are they being spent on? Extra turkey at Dave and Sam Cam’s Christmas party? We could take a small amount of comfort from the thought that the extortionate amount we pay in fuel duty was at least being put back into the road network to improve our journey to work every day, but the thought that it may be going into a different pot entirely just makes our blood boil.

As a result of their findings, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has called for the Government to lessen the burden caused by rising fuel prices on families and businesses, and quite rightly too. In the current economic climate, investing this £18billion in alleviating the pressure on motorists would be money well spent.

The Alliance report said: “Motoring taxes at their current rates cannot be justified by the need for spending on the roads and the contribution of road transport to climate change.”

The excess taxes vary by region due to local councils’ unequal spending on roads, according to the research which also reveals that drivers in urban, suburban and rural areas are taxed very differently. A driver in rural Essex is hit for £566 while their counterparts in the City of London ‘profit’ to the extent of £95 because they pay out less than is invested in their network. This difference is itself maddening because it is the rural drivers who have limited access to public transport and therefore rely on their cars more heavily.

Whatever the variation regionally, the fact is the motorist is not getting a fair deal. Excess taxation in a time of economic difficulty is daylight robbery. Our advice to the Government: cancel that extra Christmas turkey order Dave, before you have a motorists’ rampage on your hands.