Fuel cost rises are not just affecting households and road users; the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has been hit by a doubling in coal costs in less than five years, which has prompted a fundraising campaign for 2012 called ‘Cash for Coal’, launched today in Pickering.

The railway, which is a registered charity, uses around 2500 tonnes of coal each year to fuel its steam engines, which run on the 24 mile stretch between Pickering and Whitby.