The UK Government need to push ahead with plans for a fuel finder scheme and a monitoring body for the fuel industry following a key report by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The Dumbarton constituency MSP has been inundated with correspondence from local people over recent years concerned about the high fuel costs across the West Dunbartonshire and Helensburgh & Lomond areas.

She says that big retailers are unfairly cashing in which is forcing local people to struggle.

During the past year, the CMA have been carrying out a study into the road fuel market and today has made two recommendations.

The first is to establish a new fuel finder scheme to give drivers live, station-by-station fuel prices, allowing people to find the cheapest fuel which will help bring down prices.

The second recommendation is for a new monitoring body which will hold the industry to account. It will be responsible for monitoring prices and margins on an ongoing basis but will also recommend that further action is taken if competition continues to weaken in the market

They found that the driver of a typical family car could save up to £4.50 a tank within a five-minute drive and that drivers paid an extra 6p per litre for fuel at supermarkets last year as weak competition allowed stores to push up profit margins.

In recent months, Ms Baillie has been contacted by constituents advising that fuel prices in Helensburgh were averaging 7p more a litre than in Dumbarton, including at the service station at Lomondgate. The constituent also reported that fuel in Oban and Glen Coe, both more remote than Helensburgh, was 10p cheaper there.

Historically, the fuel costs in Dumbarton, Alexandria and Balloch have been greater than in Clydebank and Glasgow.

Jackie Baillie said: “I welcome the recommendations made by the Competition and Markets Authority as it is entirely unfair that people are made to pay higher fuel costs just because of where they live.

“It is completely unacceptable that people throughout my area have been paying up to 10p more for fuel than drivers elsewhere. This cannot be allowed to carry on. I look forward to the UK Government taking forward these recommendations as it is imperative that the industry stops cashing in by these outrageous margins.”