A taxi driver says news of a new fuel price hike will hit his pocket hard.

The RAC warned that 2018 is “rapidly becoming a horrible year on the UK’s forecourts” and described the prospect of further increases as “inevitable”.

Government figures show the average cost of unleaded is £1.30 per litre, while diesel stands at £1.34 per litre.

The cost of filling a 55-litre family car with unleaded has risen by £7.32 over the past 12 months, according to the RAC. For diesel, the cost has risen by £8.19. Fuel has not been this expensive since summer 2014.

Barry Haden, who runs Barry’s Taxi in Carlisle, said that every rise in petrol or diesel cuts into a taxi driver’s profit margin.

“We can’t put our prices up, because they are set by Carlisle City Council,” he explained. “Although if prices went up then people would stop using taxis, so it’s a catch-22.”

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: “August was another bad month for motorists and it’s rapidly becoming a horrible year on the UK’s forecourts. It looks like further increases are inevitable.

“Having benefited from some very low prices two-and-a-half years ago, drivers get a nasty shock every time they go to fill up their cars, having to fork out more and more.

“Unfortunately there is no end in sight to the rising cost of fuel.”

Mr Haden said that while the prospect was gloomy, there are steps businesses can take to mitigate the effects.

“I have a fuel card,” he explained, “and I had the engine management looked at and that has given me about an extra 100 miles per tank.”