The boss of a Petersfield charity facing record demand for its services fears that already struggling families will be squeezed even further by the impact of rising petrol prices.

Managers at HomeStart Butser and The Rosemary Foundation have noticed the effect of increasing petrol prices on their services.

For the latter, it means paying out more in mileage claims for their amazing nurses as they provide end-of-life home care for people within a 15 mile radius of Petersfield.

And for HomeStart, the big worry is the impact that rising inflation and bills will have on vulnerable families already struggling with the cost of living.

“We’ve done a risk analysis on the impact of all the rises and the world situation,” said HSB manager, Nicola Winter, whose charity helped a record 332 families and 459 children either side of Butser last year.

“At the moment, because we’re largely volunteer-run, it’s not impacted us as a charity too much.

“But the impact is already beginning to have an effect with some families we support and that’s worrying.

“One of our clients lives in a situation where there’s no buffer as she is on minimum wage. Now petrol prices are increasing it pushes her and we’ve noticed that others are noticing the hit of rising petrol costs.”

“We’re looking at every sector of impact,” added Nicola.

“Although a lot of families don’t use a car it would still hurt because it will push up inflation.

“Inflation costs, mortgages, the cost of petrol, the cost of food going up – what’s happening will affect everyone.

“We point a lot of people towards Free Shop and refer them to the food bank but we’re worried there’s going to be a pinch if this carries on like it is.”

While the UK government insists it is well placed to see out the crisis caused by the conflict in The Gulf and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, emergency measures have been reviewed.

There are contingency plans for fuel rationing, with a potential £30 Maximum Purchase Scheme being an option, so petrol can be prioritised for emergency services and essential services if chain disruptions occur.

“If it got to the stage where they started rationing fuel and people really started panic buying that would have an enormous impact on what we do,” said Loretta Kinsella, registered manager at The Rosemary Foundation.

“We know priority would be given to people like us but you how some people are.”

Loretta added that while the charity has noted they are “paying out more” because of rising fuel prices, they will continue regardless of what happens at the pumps.

She said: “What we’ve been doing is getting everyone together every Thursday and check if everyone is ok and we ask them if they’re doing OK with fuel.

“It’s definitely had implications for us as a charity in terms of what we’re paying out – but when people are near the end of their life we’re there in teams to do whatever is needed.”