Charities and businesses across the North East have said they are struggling with the rising cost of diesel.
The average price of diesel has risen above £2 a litre in the UK for the first time, according to the RAC motoring group.
Over the past seven months, the Iran war has severely disrupted the production and transportation of wholesale oil and refined products from the region, causing prices to surge worldwide.
The North East cancer charity Daft as a Brush said it could no longer afford to upgrade its diesel vehicles to electric as they grappled with filling them up, whilst Teesside Minibus Hire said soaring prices were “not sustainable”.
Daft as a Brush, which provides cancer patients with transport to their hospital appointments, said it was shelling out £15,000 a month on diesel – £5,000 more than last year.
The Newcastle-based charity – which drives 600,000 miles every year in its 30 vans – said it had planned on replacing them with electric vehicles, but now could not afford to because the money was being swallowed up at the pump.
Volunteer driver Davey Hall said: “Before the big hikes, we used to maybe fill up and it would take £40-45.
“Last week, it was £94 to fill the tank from half full.”
Head of income generation Scott Jobson said the money was being taken from funds raised by donations, and they were not eligible for any kind of discount.
“At the pump, what you see is what we pay,” he said.
“It stunts our growth and development.”
