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BBC News
· collected 2026-10-11 · by Tom MacDougall, Mark Denten, Amy Oakden
Charities and businesses in the North East of England are facing financial strain due to rising diesel costs exceeding £2 per litre for the first time in the UK. For example, Daft as a Brush, a cancer charity providing transport for patients, now spends £15,000 monthly on diesel, up by £5,000 from last year, which is affecting its ability to upgrade vehicles to electric models. Meanwhile, Teesside Minibus Hire in Middlesbrough reports that soaring fuel prices make long-term contracts unsustainable and are forcing them to pass costs onto customers who may not be able to afford the increases, potentially leading to a decline in business viability.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Charities and businesses in the North East are struggling with rising diesel costs, which have surpassed £2 a litre for the first time in the UK. The RAC motoring group reports that the average price of diesel has increased due to disruptions caused by the Iran war, impacting oil production and transportation worldwide. Specifically, the North East cancer charity Daft as a Brush is facing significant financial challenges; it spends about £15,000 monthly on diesel, up from £10,000 last year. The charity aims to transport patients with 30 vans covering 600,000 miles annually, but the increased costs have halted plans to replace these vehicles with electric alternatives. Volunteer driver Davey Hall noted that a fill-up used to cost around £40-£45 before recent price hikes, whereas it now costs up to £94.
Written for “Diesel Cost Impact” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 71679: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-11
- Published
Charities and businesses across the North East have said they are struggling with the rising cost of diesel.
asserted
they → publish → 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.
uncertain
price → rise → 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.
asserted
prices → disrupt → region
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".
uncertain
prices → say → them
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.
asserted
it → provide → 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.
uncertain
money → base → pump
Volunteer driver Davey Hall said: "Before the big hikes, we used to maybe fill up and it would take £40-45.
"
asserted
it → say → 40
Last week, it was £94 to fill the tank from half full."
asserted
it → fill → 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.
asserted
they → say → discount
"At the pump, what you see is what we pay," he said.
"It stunts our growth and development."
asserted
It → see → growth
In Middlesbrough, Teesside Minibus Hire director Billy Johnson said they often signed contracts with schools and businesses which could span multiple years - and were based on the cost of fuel when they were written.
uncertain
they → say → fuel
"We're not running at a loss yet, but we're running close it to it not being worthwhile or sustainable," he said.
asserted
he → run → loss
Johnson said they were having to pass the cost on to customers using services such as day hires, but because those customers were struggling with inflation themselves, they were not always prepared to pay the increased price.
asserted
they → say → price
Instead, people were turning towards cheaper, unlicensed hire services which did not pay the same overheads, he said.
asserted
he → turn → overheads
Asked whether the business could survive if fuel prices did not drop, he said: "Long term, probably not."
uncertain
he → ask → ?
In May, the government announced it would extend a fuel duty (tax) freeze until the end of the year.
uncertain
it → announce → year
It caps the tax at 5p per litre for petrol and diesel, and was introduced by the previous Conservative government after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed prices up in 2022.
asserted
invasion → cap → 2022
The government has stressed that there is no cause for concern about potential diesel shortages over the Iran War and has said the country has a "diverse and resilient supply".
asserted
country → stress → supply
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