THE spiralling cost of fuel is threatening our emergency services by taking up huge chunks of their budget for travel costs alone.

Gloucestershire police are set to face a fuel bill of over £1 million this year, up from £800,000 two years ago.

The figure was revealed after the Gazette submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The force says it has budgeted for fuel increases, but has warned it will have to "make efficiencies" to cope with the rising costs.

"The emergency services are facing difficult financial times as their income from government grant is limited and council tax increases are capped, leaving a number of forces with overall funding increases below their overall increases in costs, including salary increases, pensions, fuel, food and equipment," said director of finance at Gloucestershire police, Mike Barrow.

"In this respect the service is no different from the average member of the public and like them we will need to make efficiencies and limit our expectations in respect of the new services and development we can deliver in order to ensure that our expenditure matches our income."

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which is funded by the county council, is also facing a fuel bill of £50,000 more than last year, a 31 per cent increase.

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for community safety, said the council was working out how to deal with the increases.

He said: "The amount of money going on fuel will not affect the fire service and we would not stop going to call outs because of the rising cost of diesel.

"The county council is, at this moment, working out the cost of fuel rises on our services and trying to work out how we are going to deal with it."

Great Western Ambulance Service, which covers Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire and Bristol, also released figures that show its fuel bill increased by £103,000 last year.

A spokesman for GWAS said: "Our fuel costs have risen from £1,435,000 in 2006/07 to £1,538,000 in 2007/08. Patient care is our main priority and we are ensuring that the rising cost of fuel isn't impacting on our service."

In 2007/08 Gloucestershire police's fuel bill rocketed by £110,000 to £910,788.

The fuel bill for the first three months of the 2008/09 financial year was £262,536. If fuel prices stay at the rate they are the force will face a rise of £140,000 in their bill, bringing its total fuel expenditure for the year to just over £1 million.

Mr Barrow said: "Whilst we would always prefer to use our funding to improve services it is a fact of life that we will always have annual increases in costs, whether they be fuel or other aspects of the budget. These increases need to be, and have been, budgeted for first."