英伦广角 2011-03-28 油价飙升威胁经济发展（在线收听）

Once again, the cost of fuel is a major issue on budget day. But while drivers complain, many hauliers say the high prices are threatening their survival.

This company in Northampton runs 65 lorries. Every time they fill up, they cost an extra 230 pounds compared with last year’s prices. They definitely don’t want another fuel duty rise.

"We need some relief; we need some help as an industry. You know, it could be another British industry down the pan if we're not very careful. "

The record high prices are having a major effect on almost all sect. of the economy. These leather wholesalers use EM Rogers to transport their goods. They do pay a fuel surcharge, and just like the hauliers, feel pressured not to pass that on to their customers.

"It’s making us buy more and more volumes in order to keep the price per square foot as low as we can. By doing that, we have to carry huge amounts more of leather. This means some customers will take some of the stock and leave us with some of the stock. Ur, they take over a longer period, we have to borrow more money from banks, which, in the long term, just puts our overheads up, up, up."

It’s likely the Chancellor will delay the planned inflation plus 1p increase. But as prices keep rising, will that be enough?

The petrol stations themselves are among those feeling the pain even at these eye-wateringly high prices. A profit margin on a litre of diesel is less than 2%. This forecourt in Northampton has consciously cut its profits in order to keep customers, but that's only had limited success.

"People coming may moan about the price. Rightly so, it is expensive, but we have to charge a little bit more than we pay for it, to make a living really."

The uncertainty in the Middle-East means oil prices are likely to stay high whatever the chancellor does. Politically though, his decision on fuel duty has taken on added significance.

Darren Little, Sky News. Northampton.