Letter: Soaring fuel cost

As 90 per cent of all goods are shipped by road transport in Scotland the prospect of petrol costing £8 per gallon (your report, 24 January) would mean economic turmoil and meltdown for the Scottish economy.

The government at Westminster has a serious dilemma of balancing more taxation to pay back our massive debt while running the risk of damaging the fragile economy by allowing the cost of fuel to escalate out of control.

There is certainly no easy answer to this but the government needs to act fast in what is going to be a complicated matter to resolve and subject to the fluctuations in crude oil price which are completely outside its control.

Dennis Grattan

Mugimeoss Road

Bucksburn, Aberdeen

With rising petrol/diesel prices caused by greed, speculators and above-inflation rises, I wish, if it was feasible and possible, that everyone in the UK with cars didn't use any of the forementioned fuels until prices were forced back down by fuel companies/government because of a lack of income into their coffers.

Isn't it strange when wholesale prices of these fuels come down we don't get the same downward correction, and if we do it can take weeks to filter through; when there's a rise in wholesale price we get a full rise straight away.

Could anyone else suggest a more credible plan?

Gary Forrest

Newhaven Place

Edinburgh