Lorry spills illegal fuel

Foam was sprayed to prevent the petrol igniting

A lorry containing what is thought to have been illegal fuel overturned on Tuesday spilling about 1,000 gallons of petrol onto a road near Dungannon, County Tyrone.

Fire crews sprayed a blanket of foam over the fuel on the Coalisland Road to prevent it from igniting.

They also stemmed the flow of fuel from containers concealed in the back of the lorry.

At one stage they considered evacuating houses and a nearby petrol station.

Divisional fire officer Chris Kerr: Vehicle was unsafe

Divisional Fire Officer Chris Kerr said they had been worried because petrol ignites so easily.

"The vehicle was unsafe, the engine was still running and it was our concern that might ignite the petrol.

"Our secondary concern was the environmental impact of such a large volume of petrol flowing down into drainage systems."

He said the petrol was diverted into adjoining fields and away from drains and water courses.

The driver of the lorry had left the scene by the time police were called out to the incident.

They closed part of the road when fire crews dealt with the spill.

Customs and Excise spokesman Paul O'Hagan said it was highly likely the fuel was smuggled.

Fire crews tried to stem the spill

He said the people involved in the smuggling operations were putting the lives of others at risk.

"There is a major concern that vehicles like this are being used to transport and distribute illegal fuel. There is a concern that it poses a major threat to both the public and the environment."

Rising petrol prices are seen as one of the main reasons for a fifty percent increase in the amount of illegal fuel seized by customs over the last year.