Food and fuel bills £3k higher if you live in the country

FAMILIES in the countryside are having to pay almost £3,000 a year more for essentials such as groceries and petrol than those in towns and cities, a study has revealed.

Research found the cost of goods and services has been rising in rural areas at twice the average national rate.

Petrol and fuel are among the goods which have increased the most in the past year, followed by pet food, vehicle repairs and electricity, according to heating oil firm BoilerJuice.

The study also found rural households spend an extra £80 a year on landline telephone bills, which BoilerJuice said probably reflects rural Britain’s poor mobile phone coverage.

Lee Cowles, the managing director of BoilerJuice, said: ‘This year has been tough for country households, seeing severe inflation rates for petrol and liquid fuels.

‘The British countryside is a great place to live but for too many people country life is challenging, particularly for those on lower incomes.

‘We know that in the past year 43 per cent of rural households struggled to afford their heating oil and more should be done to shield the poorest families from the worst effects of rising prices.’