People in Wales have said crippling fuel costs have forced them to turn down jobs and left them worried about how they will afford to fill up their cars in the coming months. It comes after a protest against rising fuel costs blocked parts of the M4 this week and caused chaos on the roads leading to a number of arrests.
Last week pictures from Pont Abraham services in Carmarthenshire showed that petrol was 206.9p per litre for petrol and 208.9p for diesel. At the opposite end of the M4 the prices were 187.9p for petrol and 199.9p for diesel at the Magor services in Monmouthshire. Prices have continued to rise despite the wholesale cost of petrol being around 5p per litre cheaper than early June peaks.
On Monday, July 4, protesters brought the Prince of Wales Bridge to a virtual standstill for several hours in a bid to force action on fuel costs. The bridge was shut in both directions with some people even playing a game of football on an empty carriageway. Police later arrested 12 people in connection with the protests and also seized a number of vehicles. One person has been charged with allegedly organising the protests.
Read more: The one huge issue people have with fuel protesters disrupting traffic on the Prince of Wales Bridge
We spoke to people in Wales this week about how the rising fuel costs are affecting them. Some said they have been forced to turn down jobs, are taking desperate measures to save fuel, and in some cases even considering quitting their jobs.
'I had to turn down a job because I can't afford the fuel to get there'
Daniel Gevaux-Ross, 36, from Swansea, said fuel costs had been having a major impact on him and his family. "It has massively impacted myself and my wife – it just keeps going up," he said. "My wife is a teacher and has to commute about half an hour every day and filling up just keeps costing more.
"I drive a Citroen C4 and the cost of filling up has pretty much doubled in the last few months. It was around £50 before and now it's about £104." Daniel, who currently works as a business manager in a restaurant, said he has even had to turn down better job opportunities because he wouldn't be able to afford the commute.
"I had to turn down a job with the police recently because I won't be able to afford the commute to Bridgend," he said. "We have two young kids and have got things like childcare costs which are also going up. We pay about £550 a month for that.
"We've tightened our belts a lot. We're close to the red each month whereas before we would not have to check our accounts. We're getting emails and texts about low balances and it was never like that before."
Daniel added that the fact fuel costs keep rising was a "massive concern" and said: "It stops us thinking about going further away than Swansea if we want to go out for the day. We've got a pass for Folly Farm in west Wales but it's so far that we just don't go there. None of us have had a real terms pay rise in a few years."
Daniel said he supported the fuel protests and felt that pressure needed to be put on those with the power to take action. "They had my full backing. I was disappointed it wasn't covered more by the media. We did plan alternative routes to work ourselves.
"I can see why people have said it wasn't targeting the right people but it needs to be done to get the message across. People say it could maybe be done in London instead but protests happen there all the time so I don't know if it would make a difference."
Gavin White, 39, is a self employed courier from Cwmbran. "Driving is 100% of my job," he said. "I drive a Peugeot van and used to be able to get away with about £100 to fill it to full which would last me a week. Now £100 does just over half a tank which is about three or four days. It's about £150 to fill the tank. So it's gone up 50%.
"I am lucky in that I get paid a price per mile which has also gone up alongside fuel costs. But it doesn't always match the cost of fuel. I'm fortunate in that I've got a supportive wife but there are people doing my job who have had to drop to two or three days a week because they can't afford to drive every day.
"I've even looked at going back into fully employed work to fully guarantee holiday pay, sick pay, and things like that. I have a wife and two kids. We will have to see what happens over the next few months."
Gavin said he agreed with the protesters on principle but felt they were targeting the wrong people. "We had to go around the bridge to get to where we needed to go on Monday. We therefore had to use more fuel. I have read that they were hitting the wrong people and I agree.
"You need to go to the people with the power to change it – Westminster or London and places like that. I honestly don't know what the answer is. I've heard people talk about reducing fuel duty and that that might push inflation up even more. But If you want to get your voice heard you have to do it in the right way."
Carol Thomas, from Pontarddulais, is a retired former civil service worker and said she relies heavily on her car due to mobility issues. "I've driven all my life and have always had a car," she said. "I am 72 and have also had spinal surgery so I can't walk very far. If I need to go to the shop I need to drive there.
"I have a Mercedes SLK which I've had for six years and if I sold it I wouldn't get much for it. I can't afford an electric car or a hybrid. I live on pension, pension credit, and attendance allowance. People think that if you are getting benefits you are loaded but I am not.
"I used to always keep my car topped up and it would cost me about £40. I would fill it up when necessary. Now, I filled it up the other day, only to about three-quarters full, and it still cost me £42."
Carol said she now had to plan every trip meticulously in order to save on fuel. "I now have to plan my journeys. I try to get what I need at the shops so I don't need to go every day or every other day. I try to avoid fresh produce so I don't have to worry about it going off and needing to go out again.
"We've got a Tesco here and I plan the most economical route for my trip because I have to. I try and do anything else in one round trip. I never had to do that before."
Carol said she sympathised with the protesters and did not agree with people being arrested or having their cars taken. "If I was 20 years younger I would go and support them. People need to show their disapproval.
"I remember seeing fuel protests before in France and they had support from the public and police. In the UK there is nothing like that. I feel sorry for those people who were arrested."
Jonathan Morgan, 53, said rising costs had led him to desperate measures while driving including not opening the windows to avoid wind drag that could waste fuel. "I drive a 50-litre car which if you fill it up fully is almost £100," he said. "It's absolutely appalling. That on top of energy bills which have nearly doubled, and food inflation, is feeding into a pretty impossible situation for people."
Jonathan, who is a teacher and works from home, said he was now taking costs into account for every journey he needed to make. "I've got two teenage sons who always want to go somewhere. My son plays cricket and he could be playing anywhere across Wales – miles away. So if you think you're driving him and maybe a few teammates, and the equipment and everything, the fuel is costing an absolute fortune.
"I don't drive to Cardiff because you've got so many speed cameras and all these speed limits, especially with these 20mph zones now. Can you imagine how much fuel you are using just to drive in a low gear up a hill in the Valleys?
"£20 of fuel would last me a week before – now it wouldn't even get your tank half full. People are asking: 'Where will it end?'"
Jonathan said he was trying anything possible to reduce fuel costs. "For example I used to always drive with the windows open. Now I keep them closed depending on if I'm going up or down a hill in a desperate attempt to reduce wind drag on the car.
"I never fill up the tank fully unless I know I will be taking a long journey. I buy £30 or £40 of fuel so I'm going more regularly now. I'm going to visit a friend in Gloucester soon and I'm already calculating exactly how much I will need to fuel up to get me there and back without filling up fully. It goes back to the old adage that if you fill the tank up you're burning fuel to carry fuel."
Jonathan added that he felt protesters had been treated unfairly in comparison to protests from other groups. "What really galled me is that when the likes of Extinction Rebellion or Insulate Britain are protesting, or you have people lying in the road, they are supported. But then with the fuel protest police are arresting them and taking their vehicles away.
"It's clearly biased. It's a definite double standard. They can't pick and choose which protests are allowed and which aren't."
Retired trucker Michael Burton from Swansea said he had noticed a massive hike in prices. "My son is disabled so we have a Motability car and the prices have doubled in the last two years," he said. "We do go out but it's a case of managing whether we can or not. We are lucky we didn't go out much during Covid so we didn't have very high fuel costs. But if the prices keep going up there will come a time when we will have to say we can't go here or there."
Michael said he also felt those on the Prince of Wales Bridge were protesting to the wrong people. "Sitting on the M4 bridge is not hurting the people putting the prices up. How did they get to the M4? Didn't they have to drive there by car? I think they should be at the places where the fuel is circulating – the garages. Not the people going to work and going about their day or the truckers trying to deliver food."
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