PETROL prices in East Lancashire have dropped by more than 1p in the last seven days.

Figures released by the AA show that the average price for a litre of unleaded petrol in the area is now 80.70p, down from 82.8p this time last week.

The fall is mainly due to a price war which was sparked by the supermarket chain Asda - which has stores with petrol stations in Blackburn, Rawtenstall and Clayton Green - and led to the main service station chains following suit.

According to the AA Petrolbusters website, the cheapest litre of petrol in Blackburn can now be found at the town's Asda and Tesco stores, and costs 78.9p a litre.

Around Burnley, cheapest petrol also costs 78.9p, at Kitchens Total service station. Tesco in Burnley and Asda in Rawtenstall also come in at 78.9p.

In Accrington, the cheapest fuel is 79.9p at Total Service Station in Church, the Shell garage at Rising Bridge and Accrington Service Station.

But in Clitheroe, the cheapest price is still above 80p. According to the AA, the BP station in Chatburn Road is selling unleaded for 80.9p a litre, while the Whalley Road Total station is selling it for 81.9p a litre, like the village service station in Chatburn.

The highest price found by the AA in the BB postcode area was 85.9p a litre, meaning drivers could save £218 a year if they shopped around.