Lower cost fuel will soon be available in Lochaber for the first time with the installation of a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) facility at a Fort William petrol station.

The Road to the Isles Filling Station, situated to the north of the town, will be one of a small number of filling stations in the Highlands that will be able to provide the cheaper form of fuel. However, demand for LPG is on the increase with applications for assistance to install LPG coming in from across the Highlands and Islands.

At a cost of approximately 40p per litre, LPG is about half the price of petrol which retails between 80 - 90p per litre. Using LPG can therefore drastically reduce the cost of motoring especially in the Highlands and Islands where fuel costs are much higher than the rest of the UK.

The Road to the Isles Filling Station is owned by BP Amaco but has been licensed to Highland firm, MacRae and Dick Limited since 1967. MacRae and Dick have been awarded £12,710 from the Scottish Executive's Rural Petrol Stations Scheme, which is administered by Lochaber Limited, part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network, to help with the £25,000 project.

The UK has one of the highest concentrations of vehicles per mile of road in the world however it is amongst the lowest in using LPG powered vehicles. Other countries have recognised its environmental advantages and encouraged its development with over 4 million vehicles now operating on LPG worldwide. In the UK there are still only around 23,000 vehicles using the cheaper form of fuel.

Converting a vehicle to run on LPG costs about £1,000 - £2,000. Drivers of approved new, or nearly new cars, can get grant assistance of between 40 and 75 per cent towards the cost of the conversion under the Government-backed 'Powershift' programme. Once converted to LPG a vehicle can still run on petrol if LPG is unavailable.

MacRae and Dick's operations manager for the Fort William area, Gordon Mackintosh said: "The introduction of grants to assist in the conversion of some vehicles plus the significant saving in fuel charges should result in LPG becoming more popular. To attract users of LPG into the Lochaber region, whether for business or pleasure, this service needs to be available.

"MacRae and Dick is proud to be one of the first fuel station operators to be introducing LPG into the Highlands."

Jackie Wright, chief executive of Lochaber Limited said: "Motorists in the Highlands and Islands are faced with much higher fuel costs than drivers elsewhere in the UK. The availability of the much cheaper LPG in Lochaber servicing locals and visitors is a very welcome new facility."

Anyone interested in converting their car under the 'Powershift' scheme can receive further information on tel: 0845 6021425, or on the internet at www.est-powershift.org.uk.