AVON and Somerset police force will see its fuel bill rocket by £600,000 next year if the cost of fuel continues to soar.

The staggering reality of how much the police are having to pay in fuel costs was revealed after the Gazette obtained figures under the Freedom of Information Act.

The figures show that last year Avon and Somerset Constabulary spent £1.799million on fuel and this year they predict that if the price of fuel continues to spiral they will spend £2.442million.

The force has already implemented plans to try to decrease the amount of fuel they use in response to the rising costs, including increasing the amount of officers using bikes to get around and investing in environmentally friendly cars.

"The cost of fuel has obviously increased dramatically in the last year," said Dan Mountain, Avon and Somerset police spokesman.

"Every year the constabulary and police authority are faced with financial challenges and do everything to make the force as cost efficient as possible."

Avon and Somerset police have over 1,000 vehicles in operation, which means that the rising price of fuel has hit the force hard.

A tank of diesel, based on 50 litres, now costs the force an extra £15.29 on last year's price and an extra £9.07 for petrol.

If the cost continues soaring the force estimates that it will be faced with a fuel bill of approximately £640,000 more than last year.

"There are already a number of measures in place to reduce fuel costs which include the use of bio-ethanol fuelled cars in parts of the force," continued Mr Mountain.

"There are also an increasing number of police officers and Police Community Support Officers who use bicycles to get around their beats on a day to day basis.

"Every effort is made to ensure the cost of fuel does not have an effect on front line policing services."

Avon Fire and Rescue Service also released figures under the Freedom of Information Act to the Gazette this week.

These showed they spent over £30,000 more on fuel last year for their fleet of 75 vehicles.

The service said they were unable to estimate the increase in fuel costs they can expect next year.

However with each vehicle taking over 118 litres of fuel to fill its tank the fire service now pays £23 more per tank on last year's prices, which is an extra £1,725 to re-fuel their entire fleet of fire engines once.

A spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue said: "While the cost of fuel has risen significantly in recent months this is not currently having an impact on Avon Fire and Rescue Service's ability to conduct its core business.

"Fuel is an essential resource, therefore any potential fluctuations in cost are considered when allocating budgets.

"We continually monitor our expenditure and will make adjustments accordingly."