P&O Ferries has raised its fuel surcharge by more than 50 per cent, as fuel costs continue to rise.

Ronald Daelman, the company's freight director, said the "substantial and sustained rise of the cost of fuel" had left them with no choice but to adjust the level of their surcharge from £3.10 to £9.80 on the Dover-Calais route. The company says that even this is based on a price per barrel of 120 dollars rather than the Brent crude price of 130 dollars.

"However, by fixing the level of surcharge for three months at the time, P&O attempts to give its clients some stability in the pricing structure and given that our review is always in arrears, P&O Ferries has absorbed a substantial proportion of the extra cost," he said.

The new surcharge - £9.80 for lorries and £2 for cars, each way - came into effect from July 1 and will be reviewed again in mid-September.