Hauliers suspend service from Monday due to "record" fuel prices.

Italian road haulage companies will suspend their services nationwide from Monday 14 March "due to force majeure", the Trasportounito trade union announced on Thursday.

In a letter to the government, Trasportounito said the move was "inevitable" due to the "record price" of fuel, claiming the haulage sector is in "a state of extreme need".

Italian consumer watchdog Codacons warns that the protests in the transport industry could lead to a surge in retail prices in shops and supermarkets, given that 85 per cent of goods sold in Italy are delivered by road.