I moved my shop 20 miles because I couldn't afford £300 a week on fuel

I moved my shop 20 miles because I couldn't afford £300 a week on fuel

Melanie Wilson was spending a lot of money on fuel for travel

Antique shop owner Melanie Wilson says she relocated her business closer to home because she was struggling to cover almost £300 a week in diesel costs after fuel prices soared.

She opened her new premises in Turriff, Aberdeenshire, earlier this month, reducing her commute by 20 miles and cutting her fuel bill by half.

UK fuel prices have risen by about 5p in just one week because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with diesel in some places edging towards £1.95 a litre.

Wilson is among countless people in small rural communities across Scotland who are feeling the strain because they rely on their cars for work and daily life.

Fuel prices began climbing when the US-Israel war with Iran started on 28 February.

The military strikes badly disrupted energy production and transport across the region.

Prices dropped again when the US and Iran agreed a framework deal to end the fighting in June.

But they have begun rising once more as tensions return, with wholesale oil back above $100 a barrel.

Wilson, 37, lives in Banff, but has now moved her shop from Insch to Turriff to reduce travel expenses.

She said she now spends more than £150 a week on diesel, although it used to be about twice that.

"I decided to move the shop really just because of the travel," she said.

"It just wasn't justifiable driving back and forth every day with the price of fuel. It's scary.

"There's no other option. I mean, you can dread going to the pump."

Taxi driver Martin Milne, 55, employs 24 people at his business.

Because fuel makes up a major part of the company's running costs, rising prices are adding more pressure to his business.

"The last two days the price has risen nine, 10 pence a litre," he said.

"The cost per month now to fill my cars is horrendous. It's getting more and more every time, you can't see a way out of this now, it makes it very difficult.

"I would say a monthly fuel would be £6,500, before the Iran conflict it was maybe £5,000."

At 92, Evelyn Grant is still driving.

For her, having a car means she can get around independently.

But she is also feeling the effect of higher fuel prices.

"Well it's rather expensive, it certainly makes you wonder if you'll put your heating on or not," she said.

"I am definitely having to make those choices. It'll never come back down - it's gone up, and it won't come back down I can guarantee that.

"I just don't go so far with the car now, I just think I can cut back that way.

"I can still go out and walk and get the heat up that way."

Driver John Reid, 37, spends a lot of time on the road.

"To keep the truck on the road, it's quite expensive," he said.

"It's just the way it is right now, the price is up and down here all the time.

"The prices are getting extortionate, that's the truth about it."

Carer Jared Whitehouse, 42, covers a lot of miles in his car and on his bike.

He said his costs have risen sharply.

"Yesterday I came out of Aberdeen and I paid £80 to fill the tank - compared to probably a couple of few years ago where I was paying like closer to £60.

"I've been doing a lot more riding around on my bike, because it's just cheaper."

Tyreece Flaws, 25, who works in road haulage, lives in Portsoy and works in Turriff.

"It's quite sore," he said.

"I travel quite far for work, about 25 miles each way, so it's quite expensive.

"When I pull up at the forecourt I just kind of close my eyes and hope for the best.

"I have zero option, I have to drive for work, so I have to fill up. Doesn't help with the rest of the cost of living, food and stuff. I do worry about money."

Crude oil is a key ingredient in petrol and diesel, which means higher wholesale costs make filling up a car more expensive. Petrol and diesel prices are also heavily affected by demand and refining capacity.

Analysts say every $10 (£7.44) per barrel rise in the oil price adds roughly 7p a litre to pump prices.

Since the war began, the price of a barrel of Brent crude - the global benchmark for wholesale oil prices - has been highly volatile.

In general, news of further conflict pushes the price up, while hopes of an end to the war push it down.

Before the conflict, Brent was about $70 a barrel, but the fighting drove it to a peak of above $120.

In early July, after the framework deal was signed, prices dropped back to near the $70 a barrel level.

When the peace talks collapsed, the price climbed again to above $100 a barrel. It fell back for a few weeks but is once again above the $100 mark after a fresh escalation in hostilities.