Drivers 'making more fuel errors'

Using diesel fuel in a petrol engine can cause serious damage

Breakdown services say they are dealing with twice as many incidents of motorists putting the wrong fuel in their vehicles than a decade ago.

The AA says 150,000 drivers make this error each year, risking engine failure that could cost thousands to repair.

Most incidents of misfuelling involve petrol being put into diesel vehicles.

The increase is partly being blamed on the rising popularity of diesels and people forgetting what they are driving because modern engines are quieter.

Diesel pump nozzles are designed to be too big to fit into a petrol tank, preventing petrol engines from being contaminated in this way.

'Not paying attention'

In the past breakdown services have been unable to pump out tanks filled with the wrong fuel at the roadside, but now both the AA and RAC are introducing specialist vehicles with tanks for storing the waste fuel, and operators trained in dealing with flammable materials.

Donald MacSporran, of the AA, said of those who make fuelling errors: "It's about people leading busy lives, not paying attention, mind on other things.

"They lift up the pump at the forecourt and before they know it, there's the wrong fuel in the vehicle.

"The further you drive it, the more damage you're going to cause and some cars, the repair bill could be as much as £5,000 or £6,000 - and perhaps even more."

The AA says it hopes within the next decade that design changes to cars will help consign fuelling errors to the past.