THE political unrest in the Middle East may seem a universe away from Cumbria - but its effects will be felt up and down the county.

American President Donald Trump caused an international storm last week when he ordered the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, widely regarded as the second most powerful man in Iran.

Mr Trump said the general - who was popular in the Asian country - was plotting “imminent and sinister attacks”.

Following the escalation of tensions between the US and Iran, the price of oil has rocketed.

Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “The oil price has already spiked in response to tensions between the US and Iran.

“We hope this will be a short-term blip but if the situation in the Middle East deteriorates, and markets see a risk that oil supplies might be interrupted, there’s no doubt the price could rise further.

“That’s bad news for the economy because it makes it more expensive to move goods and people around.”

The impact of the rise could be significant impact for Cumbrians.

“The British Chambers of Commerce is already predicting that UK growth will slow to 1.0 per cent this year. It will be weaker still if the oil price soars.

“Cumbria is particularly exposed,” continued Mr Johnston.

“As a rural county, people depend on their cars and have to travel longer distances for work, leisure and shopping.

“Our manufacturers will have to pay more to get their goods to market and higher travel costs will deter incoming tourists.”

It is also feared, explained Mr Johnston, that worse things could be on the horizon.

He added: “There’s danger that the UK economy could slip into recession in the event of a sustained increase in the oil price.

“The Chancellor can act to avert this in his Budget on March 11 by taking measures to cut costs for businesses and to encourage investment.

“The Government must make good on its election pledge to reform business rates and we’d like to see a moratorium on all new up-front costs for businesses for the duration of this Parliament.”

Also keeping a close eye on the developments is Jennifer Whyberd, managing director of haulage firm WM Armstrong Group.

“We are always looking at fuel prices, it is one of our biggest costs, along with people costs.

“It affects everybody, but we just have to pass it onto customers.

“We are looking to save fuel everywhere we can. We replace our vehicles with more up-to-date ones, we ask our drivers to drive as efficiently as possible.”

Mrs Whyberd continued: “It is not easy to pass that cost on, but we pass on as much of that extra cost as we can.

“Hauliers are the first to be affected.”