Drivers have been issued a breakdown warning after a popular petrol station reported issues with “contaminated fuel”.
Brits who visited the BP garage in Essex reportedly had to have their cars repaired following the incident. The mishap was first reported at the London Road garage in Rayleigh on Monday, January 6.
Fed-up drivers inaundated a fuel service with calls for help following concerns that as many as 100 people could be affected. BP were forced to shut their garage on Tuesday, before they re-opened for business the next day.
A spokesperson said they isolated the contaminated fuel tank and confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the incident, reports MailOnline. A local fuel expert believes that the issue is down to the petrol somehow mixing with water.
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The garage closed its doors at London Road, Rayleigh
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Lee Pretlove, owner of emergency fuel draining service FuelOut, claimed his company had experienced its busiest week in years responding to calls from the BP garage’s customers. Mr Pretlove said he had dealt with 40 impacted motorists between Monday and Friday but suspects up to 100 people could have used the faulty station pump.
Speaking to BBC Essex, the repair worker revealed that one customer had seen five of his vans break down on the same day due to the contaminated fuel. He said: “Within an hour of [the first call], our phone hadn’t stopped. There’s quite a lot of cars affected. There are 40 we’ve dealt with and more coming in.”
Drivers may need new filters
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Speaking about the customer who had multiple vans breakdown, Mr Pretlove added: “He had none of his vans going to work that day, so, as you can imagine, he was quite upset.” He told Colchester Gazette: “It is reversible and is a case of draining them out, a lot of these cars will need new spark plugs as this is damaging certain plugs and fuel filters.
“Some are taking their cars to garages and getting massive bills without knowing what is wrong with their vehicle. It has been crazy; I haven’t seen something like this for ages as there was a similar incident in Wickford three years before this.”
A BP spokesperson said: “We are taking steps to assess the potential impact and determine the number of people who may be affected. Any customers with concerns should contact our careline for support – careline@bp.com.”