Rural motorists are over a barrel

Fuel duty rises have rural motorists over a barrel, according to a rural watchdog.

Tim Barnes-Clay, motoring correspondent for the CLA, said: "If you look at rural areas there really is no alternative to the car, and it’s significantly increasing people’s cost of living.

"A litre of petrol is already about 105p, and now it’s going up again. There is very little you can do to economise if you live in the countryside."

Mr Barnes-Clay added: "The Chancellor seems to regard the UK’s 30million motorists as an easy target for tax. The Government needs to appreciate the impact such taxes have on families and businesses, especially in rural areas."

In this year’s annual RAC report on motoring as many as 80% of drivers surveyed believed that the current level of tax on motorists was too high in relation to the service they received on the country’s roads.

And 83% did not believe that the motoring taxes they paid were sufficiently reinvested into the right areas.