Why are thefts from petrol stations on the rise in the UK?
Which jobs are being lost in the UK due to rising fuel prices?
How are rising fuel costs affecting living costs and how are Britons coping?
How much have inflation rates risen in the UK?
As fuel prices in the UK rise sharply and there is no hope of a reduction, NGOs and trade unions have warned of massive layoffs in key sectors where driving is not profitable.
Increased Theft from Petrol Forecourts
Rising petrol prices have led to a dramatic increase in petrol thefts at filling stations. The BBC reported on Sunday that, given the average price of petrol in the UK, filling an ordinary car tank costs about £100. Forecourt Eye, which operates more than a thousand petrol stations and garages in the UK, said non-payment for petrol had risen by almost 40% since January. According to company officials, some people flee the place after filling their tanks without payment or under the pretext of having lost their wallet. It is customary in the UK to fill up the tank and pay at the shop in the forecourt.
Staff Shortages in the Transport and Healthcare Industries
The GMB, which represents 600,000 members, has warned that a sharp rise in fuel prices has “crushed” its members. The union said staff shortages in the transport and healthcare industries will only get worse as prices continue to shoot up. The price of a litre of unleaded petrol has reached 182.31 pence, which means that the cost of filling the tank of a typical car has reached 100 pounds for the first time. Some employees who need to drive to their jobs spend £350 a week on petrol, while others who rely on their mode of transport for a living pay twice as much.
Pay Extra to Go to Work
An NHS employee told the Observer that the price of fuel was higher than the petrol subsidy paid by the organisation. According to him, NHS staff are out of pocket to drive to patients’ homes. Tiffany, another British health staffer, said fuel was her biggest expense of the month. Of the £250 in fuel costs, only £171 is reimbursed by the NHS. She stated that all her colleagues are tired of this situation. “The morale is the worst that it’s been for about 10 years. To be honest with you, I feel worse now than I felt during Covid. I could work at a till in Aldi and be paid more.”
Rising Cost of Living in the UK
Last month, the NHS waiting list for patients reached a record 6.4 million. It is said that there is a shortage of 110,000 staff in healthcare. Reports indicate that taxi drivers have also been forced to work in other sectors in the face of rising fuel costs in order to cope with the rampant increase in living costs. There are an estimated 10,000 shortages of Uber drivers and black taxis in the British capital. According to the report, couriers and other van drivers are also severely hit. “It’s got to the point where I have made the decision to look for another job … I’m watching people who have been doing this for 16 years saying, ‘That’s it, it’s my last day’. When I filled up the other day it was £108 and I could have cried because I know how much work I’ll have to do now before I make any money,'” one of them told Radio 5.
Unprecedented Inflation Rates
How much have inflation rates risen in the UK?
The UK inflation rate hit a 40-year high of 9% in April, and the Bank of England forecasts that it will reach 10% before the end of the year. The energy price ceiling is expected to rise by 42% in October, with the average gas and electricity bills rising from £1971 to £2,801.
Record petrol prices now mean that health workers, taxi drivers and others who have to drive for a living are literally in trouble. Not surprisingly, widespread staff shortages are being witnessing in key sectors, and the situation will only get worse as prices continue to rise. Experts attribute the unprecedented rise in fuel prices in the UK to the disruption of the supply chain due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the weak exchange rate between the pound and the dollar.
