Fuel Finder-derived figures showed the UK average reaching around 199.2p a litre on Saturday, passing the previous record of 199.09p set in June 2022.
Government Fuel Finder-derived figures listed standard diesel at Winchester’s northbound and southbound M3 services at 219.9p a litre on 26 September. By comparison, the same data put the UK average at around 199.2p.
For scaffolding firms, fuel is a cost that is difficult to avoid. Crews and equipment have to travel to sites, often several times during the life of a project, while larger contractors can operate substantial fleets of vans and HGVs.
The speed of the latest increase is also significant.
RAC figures published on Friday put diesel at 198.32p a litre, up 14.5p during September alone and 55.9p since 28 February. The RAC said a 55-litre diesel fill had reached around £109.
Wholesale diesel and oil prices have risen sharply during the continuing conflict involving the US and Iran and disruption to international fuel supplies. RAC said Brent crude had been trading around the $100-a-barrel level during the second half of September.
Pressure on businesses
The wider road transport industry has also warned that operators have limited room to absorb increases.
A Road Haulage Association survey earlier this year found 84.6% of operators reported reduced profit margins because of rising fuel costs, while only 10% said they could pass all of the additional cost to customers.
That problem will be familiar to scaffolding contractors working on jobs priced weeks or months before the latest fuel surge.
The Government has kept the temporary 5p-per-litre fuel duty reduction in place until 31 December. The current duty on road diesel remains 52.95p per litre, with the Government due to confirm its plans for 2027 at the Budget.
The RHA is calling for the freeze to continue and has also proposed an essential-user rebate for commercial vehicles. Those proposals have not been adopted by the Government.
