Families forced to cut back on food to afford petrol, says AA

Published on Thursday 17 March 2011 14:54

Drivers are cutting back on food, and rural dwellers are becoming marooned in the countryside, as fuel hits record prices, Britain's biggest motoring group has warned.

The Automobile Association said the far-reaching impact of rocketing prices at the pump was "to the shame of a developed country".

Its monthly fuel price report, compiled on Monday, showed the UK average petrol price had reached a new high of 132.88p, with diesel at a record 139.98p - rises of more than 4p and nearly 5p respectively since February.

In Scotland, average prices were slightly lower, at 134.4p for petrol and 139.4p for diesel. The petrol price was up 3.8p on last month - also below average - but diesel went up by an above-average 5.2p.

However, wide variations remain within Scotland.

The comparison website petrolprices.com showed some petrol being sold for as little as 127.9p a litre in Edinburgh on Wednesday, while checks by The Scotsman yesterday found it was 158p on Eday in Orkney, 151.9p at Achiltibuie, near Ullapool, and 147p at Barra's filling station.

The AA again urged Chancellor George Osborne to cancel the planned fuel duty hike of up to 5p a litre in next week's Budget, as is widely expected. President Edmund King said: "Turmoil in the Middle East, with its impact on oil and pump price volatility, is already adding to financial uncertainty for poorer drivers.

"The AA asks the government to provide some respite by cancelling the fuel duty increase on 1 April.

"If not, tales of the rural poor being marooned in their villages and people cutting back on their food to keep the car on the road so that they can go to work will become more common - to the shame of a developed country."

Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said: "As prices rise, it will be the optional trips, such as the Sunday run to coast, country or the garden centre, which will go first, leading to even more pressure on the overall Scottish economy."

However, environmental groups said the soaring cost of fuel underlined the need to reduce dependency on cars.

Dr Dan Barlow, head of policy for WWF Scotland, said: "Our current transport system's reliance on the car is utterly unsustainable and it is at odds with cutting climate emissions and reducing our dependency on oil.

"A coherent government approach to fuel tax to support investment in public transport, walking and cycling and the roll- out of electric vehicles is needed to act as an incentive for all of us to cut our car use.

"Government should be focusing on reforming our transport policy by making a low-carbon transport future a reality. Caving in to the motoring lobby on fuel duty over the short term is entirely at odds with this imperative."

Professor Jan Bebbington, vice-chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, said: "High car dependency in Scotland has great negative impacts for vulnerable groups - children, the elderly and low-income families."