SPIRALLING fuel prices across Oxfordshire will damage the county’s economy, it was warned said last night.

Professional drivers say they have been left trying to absorb the record high costs in an effort to prevent passing the rise on the customers.

But now there is rising concern about the continued impact this will have on Oxfordshire’s businesses.

Stuart Adams is the managing director of Bicester haulage firm DA Clayton, which spends up to £15,000 a fortnight on fuel.

He said Oxfordshire was affected by fuel rises worse than many places because of the number of haulage firms based in the county.

He said: “We are geographically well connected and you only have to look at the number of warehouses in the county.”

Unleaded petrol prices in Oxford average around 135p per litre, reaching a high of 140.9p, while diesel averages around 143p per litre and costing up to 147.9,p according to comparison website petrolprices.com on Sunday.

The most expensive litre of petrol the Oxford Mail could find in the county last night was at the BP filling station at junction eight of the M40 where unleaded cost 142.9p and diesel cost 149.9p a litre.

The average price of unleaded across Oxfordshire is 136.1p a litre, meaning it costs just over £95 to fill up a 70-litre tank, while diesel is 143.7p – setting you back £100.50p to fill up the same amount.

Across the UK, unleaded fuel costs an average of 136.23p, while diesel costs 143.71p. And with fuel duty set to rise by another 3p in August, Mr Adams felt it was having a damaging effect.

He said: “Fuel duty is all about keeping the price of fuel at a high value so that people look at ways to save it but we are past that point now.

“Business is on its backside as it is without more obstructions to overcome.

“It is absolutely ridiculous.”

And rising fuel costs even affect those who don’t use a car.

Oxford Bus Company spokesman Phil Ashworth said the company’s fuel costs were fixed for a “lengthy” period.

But he added: “Fuel costs are only going in one direction and there’s no doubt that when we next fix our fuel prices we will have to pay more and we can’t absorb rising costs indefinitely.”

Abingdon-based taxi driver Stuart Thomas, 38, said: “If we raise our prices I don’t think we will keep the trade. We are between a rock and a hard place.”

Nigel Wild, president of Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The rising cost of fuel, especially diesel, is affecting businesses quite badly.

“It is down to the continuing price increases by Government, but fuel costs are also hit by fuel speculators, who gamble on the price of fuel.”

Campaign group Fair Fuel UK will be holding a meeting with Treasury minister Chloe Smith today to lobby for a cut in fuel duty.