Mandy Fry, of Weymouth firm Weyline Taxis, said: “Any increase in fuel is going to have a big impact on drivers.

“The industry is quiet at the moment anyway, and fuel increases do not necessarily mean a rise in taxi fares, which means drivers often can't stay on a par with what they are earning.

“I personally get through about £100 of diesel per week, and I'm a manager, which means I just tend to do school runs,” said Mandy, right.

“Our drivers who are out all the time will get through a lot more, and this is going to be quite a significant rise to them.

“Of course, fuel isn't the only outgoing in this industry, and whenever the budget is announced, we expect road tax to go up.

“This year it's only going up with the rate of inflation, which isn't great, but it’s not bad news.

“I don't think there were any surprises for taxi drivers in the Budget, but costs have been going up so much year on year, that you do wonder where it's all going to end.”