{"id":35258,"date":"2022-06-11T09:14:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-11T09:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/11\/fuel-price-rises-hit-ice-cream-van-trade\/"},"modified":"2022-06-11T09:14:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-11T09:14:06","slug":"fuel-price-rises-hit-ice-cream-van-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/06\/11\/fuel-price-rises-hit-ice-cream-van-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuel price rises hit ice cream van trade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ice cream vendors could be forced to give up their livelihoods if fuel prices rise, industry bosses have warned.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The stalwart purveyors of frozen treats are a welcome sight in summer, but their delivery trucks use diesel-guzzling engines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many need to keep their vehicles running while stationary and can cover many miles traveling to events or profitable patches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maurice “Moz” Murray, chairman of the industry association, said of this summer: “Without a doubt we will lose vans.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The cost of petrol has skyrocketed in recent days, with the average liter of unleaded petrol costing 182.31p and diesel costing 188.05p.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Murray said the Ice Cream Mobilisers and Associated Trades Alliance (ICMAT) and its 2,500 members from Scotland to Cornwall were “deeply concerned”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It only gets worse in the summer when we go to different events over the summer holidays,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Murray, who trades in Lancashire, said the industry was at breaking point and recent fuel hikes threatened to put some out of business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“My own fuel costs have increased by a good third,” he said. “Ice is not a necessity. It’s a luxury. People have to do without luxury.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hull resident Lawrence Glauser said he went from \u00a325 a day on diesel for his Mercedes Sprinter van to around \u00a350.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He explained that Mr Whippy machines must be plugged into the mains or run by the van’s engine, which must be kept running. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“It works a bit like the air conditioning in a car,” says Glauser. “From 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., my van chugs away.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ian Smith, whose company Mr Whippy Leeds operates a fleet of eight vans, said paying over \u00a3100 to fill up a van “is [previously] outrageous”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Not everyone can stomach the extra expense, especially if they drive around or travel a long way to work sites,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Smith said there is currently no viable alternative to diesel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“We’re staying with it until someone develops an electric van that can carry the weight we need,” he said. “But even then the current will increase.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Glauser insists he will not switch to selling softscoop ice cream stored in battery-powered freezers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said: “I’m a Mr. Whippy man, not a shovel man. If I can’t afford to keep the engine running, I guess I’ll just be another ice cream man biting the dust.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Glauser, who has been in the industry since 2000, said it would be a shame if ice cream trucks were a thing of the past. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you see a little kid smile when you hand them an ice cream cone,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Follow BBC Yorkshire on <\/i>Facebook, <\/i>Twitter<\/a> and <\/i>Instagram. Submit your story ideas to <\/i>yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n