// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
Diesel prices exceed £2 a litre at hundreds of forecourts across Scotland
Conflict in the Ukraine and the Middle East have driven up prices on forecourts
The price of diesel has exceeded £2 a litre at hundreds of Scottish forecourts, according to analysis by BBC Scotland News.
Some of the highest prices can be found at garages in Scotland's islands, where fuel is 50p a litre more expensive than that sold at supermarkets in the central belt.
Hauliers have described the cost to their businesses as "devastating" and say it now costs £250 a week more to fill up a lorry.
Motoring organisation the RAC said it expected the UK average price of diesel to hit a new record high over the weekend.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war has pushed up the cost of crude oil, leading to higher fuel and energy costs.
The UK government said it continued to protect British people and business, and there would not be an increase in fuel duty this year.
Dave Neil, who runs a haulage firm in Orkney, said fuel costs were "challenging"
Analysis by BBC Scotland News suggests there are at least 226 sites - stretching from the Borders to Shetland - where the price of a litre of diesel is greater than £2.
Some of the highest prices are in island and rural areas, including 238.8p and 223p in the Hebrides and 209.0p and 208.9p in the Northern Isles.