Volunteer drivers say the cost of fuel is putting charities at risk. Charity chiefs in Leicestershire have been warned by drivers that the 40p per mile allowance cannot now cover the total cost of using their own cars. Anymore than 40p is liable for tax.

Hospice drivers and those ferrying the disabled, elderly and vulnerable, have all contacted charity leaders saying they are finding it difficult to carry on because of rising costs. Dial-a-Ride leader, Lindsey Short - a Leicestershire charity with 43 drivers helping 1,500 people in need of transport - said: “We desperately want the Government to raise the level of 40p that they start charging tax at.”