MOTORISTS and hauliers in North Yorkshire have been hit by yet another hike in the price of fuel.

A litre of unleaded petrol has soared to 76.5 pence at the Tesco filling station at Dringhouses, compared with 74.9 pence at the beginning of March.

The garage, considered to be one of the cheapest in York, was charging only 73.9 pence in mid-February, and 72.4 pence at the end of January.

It is a similar story at Sainsbury's filling station at Monks Cross. A litre of unleaded was only 72.9 pence at the end of January, rose to 74.9 pence in February and then 75.9 pence at the start of March. It now costs 76.5 pence.

The increases are reflected at other filling stations across the city and North Yorkshire, and mean drivers are now paying more than at any time since the fuel protests in 2000.

The Road Haulage Association says hauliers have been hit by similar hikes in the price of diesel, placing some in North Yorkshire under threat of bankruptcy.

Regional director Geoff Dunning said costs had risen two per cent since the start of the year, in an industry with profit margins of only two to five per cent.

He called for cuts in fuel duties in next month's Budget.

The increases at the pumps come in the wake of soaring prices for crude oil on the international markets, as war against Iraq looms ever closer.

But Mr Dunning said heavy buying of fuel in Europe by America was also a key factor

Earlier this month, crude reached its highest price since the build-up to the Gulf War almost 13 years ago, and is now trading at almost $34 dollars a barrel.

Asked if York had now seen the last increase in pump prices, Ray Holloway, of the Petrol Retailers' Association, warned that there may still be a "little more" to come this month.

He said diesel had also risen by an average of two pence a litre last week. But he held out hope that pump prices might fall back again later in the spring after a possible slump in the world price of crude, if the possible war in Iraq finished swiftly.

He said the imminent conflict was only one factor behind the increases in crude prices, with domestic factors in America also having an important impact.

Updated: 08:36 Friday, March 14, 2003