The Exmoor based Dulverton laundry has blamed rising fuel-oil and diesel costs for its introduction of a 50p delivery/collection charge for its domestic customers.
In a circular, explaining the charge, md Keith Pedlar asked customers to support small business and show their displeasure at the situation by sending the note to their MP.
The laundry, which is over 100 years old, has an extensive customer base that includes North Cornwall, North Devon, west and south Somerset and parts of Dorset. It relies heavily on its fleet of delivery vans.
Traditional in style, it serves domestic users as well as commercial operations and Keith Pedlar says he still has around 2000 domestic customers throughout the catchment area.
He told LCN that he had waited for the pre-budget statement, before introducing the domestic charge , but said that since the fuel protest, prices had already risen 2p, more than outweighing any promised improvements.
To compensate to some extent, he had held the usual 1 December increase until May.
He also said that from spring, delivery charges at a similar level, would be introduced for commercial customers but, for them increase would be relatively small, in percentage terms.
