Rising fuel costs hit London's air ambulance

London's Air Ambulance Service charity has said it is facing financial strain since its fuel costs have doubled, as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

The charity warns that if no resolution is found, they will need to find new funding.

Captain Chris Sherriff, a pilot with the service, said: "As a charity we rely on donations, we use those donations to fund various projects and obviously at the current moment we're having to use that to actually fund the fuel."

The government told the BBC: "The UK remains well stocked for all fuel types. We continue to work with suppliers to make sure people keep moving and businesses are supported while the conflict is ongoing."

Sherriff said he hoped the fuel situation would not lead to a reduction in the life-saving service the charity provides, and said he hoped it would not "get to that point".

Fuel prices surged when the US-Israel war with Iran began in February, with the production and transportation of energy across the Middle East slowing or stopping entirely due to missile strikes and drone attacks.

Motorists across the UK have seen steep price increases at fuel pumps too.

The cost of filling a typical family car with petrol has increased by about £14, and with diesel £27.

The London Air Ambulance charity said it had seen a 116% increase in average fuel prices from 89p a litre in February to £1.93 in April.

Sherriff said the air ambulance used 250l of fuel every hour of flight, which he described as "a large amount".

He said the cost had become "significant".

Other charities have told the BBC that the rising costs of fuel is affecting their ability to function normally.

Rachel Ledwith, from The Felix Project, a charity which distributes food in the capital, said the team were facing "difficult choices".

"We've got 800 organisations on our wait list - can we afford to take any of those on when our fuel costs are going up,?" Ledwith asked.

Serv Surrey and London Blood Bikes said its fuel costs had increased 36% since the beginning of the ongoing conflict.

Katie Stevens, vice chairwoman of the charity, which transports blood products, medical supplies as well as donated breast milk, said: "The unknown long-term impact is concerning."

But, she added: "We have measures in place to ensure that we can still sustain a consistent service to our hospitals in these uncertain times."

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