A DUNFERMLINE-based rugby referee has blown the whistle on fuel prices in the Dunfermline and West Fife area.

Bryan Johnstone contacted the Press to highlight his discovery that drivers in Dunfermline were having to fork out 7p per litre more for unleaded fuel than if they were filling up in Glenrothes or Kirkcaldy.

"Kirkcaldy Asda have it at £127.7 and Asda in Dunfermline are selling it at £134.7," he said. "To be honest it is pretty ridiculous that we are paying a premium here for whatever reason.

"For my work, I have got a fuel card so I am not bothered about that but at the weekends I referee rugby union and I could be anywhere in the country.

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"When you are having to fill the car up once a week for doing that, it is a fair bit of a hit. I often tend to drive through to the east and fill my car up to save costs on fuel."

When the Press checked on Thursday, the price for unleaded petrol in Dunfermline ranged from £134.7 to £135.9 across different retailers - but in Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes the price per litre price went from £127.7 to £131.7.

The issue is also something affecting local businesses in the area.

Michael Hughes, who runs Max Pass driving school, said it is a long-standing discrepancy affecting motorists in the city.

"It has been like this for quite a while," he said. "It makes no sense when you go to Kirkcaldy and there is such a difference. I have got an electric car but my other instructors, it is a difference.

"Because we are all travelling the short distances, we use a lot more fuel. People look at our lesson prices and say why are lessons so expensive but by the time you put fuel in, it all adds up.

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"It makes no sense. I should be the same. You would think the prices would be the same in the same area for such a short distance."

One of the retailers, Asda, said factors affecting an area's fuel price can include supply, the base price of fuel and local competition.

A spokesperson said: "At Asda we have a proud tradition of being the price leader in the supermarket fuel sector, and we remain focused on providing the best value at the pumps."

A BP spokesperson said the pricing policy within each local trading area reflects the location of the site, its facilities, and the competition.

"We monitor our fuel prices daily on a site-by-site basis which can be affected by local competition, product prices quoted on the international markets and exchange rate variations," they said.

"Fuel prices take into account the local market conditions, cost of operations and the cost of delivering fuel to a particular retail site or area. In addition, the duty and VAT placed on fuel by the government make up a significant proportion of price."