The price of fuel and the cost of a barrel of oil are in the news a lot. There must be millions who, when they hear the words ‘barrel price’, switch off. Many don’t drive a car so they think it applies to them even less. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Virtually everything you buy involves transport, so the price you pay in shops will rise, and service providers, deliverers and tradesmen will have to increase prices to cover the cost.

Healthcare workers will have to plan home visits on distance instead of urgency, while the elderly and infirm will find travel almost impossible.

Fuel prices have been rising for months, but the current unrest we are seeing in the Middle East will mean in the next few weeks, or even days, we are going to see prices soar.

We must ensure that the plan to increase fuel duty on April 1 does not go ahead. In the long-term we must ensure that a system is put in place that will help stabilise prices. By signing the petition at FairFuelUK.com, you can make a difference.

Geoff Dunning, Road Haulage Association chief executive, Weybridge, Surrey