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No compensation six months on from fuel contamination

Charlie Stubbsin Shrewsbury
News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC There is a man with brown brushed-up hair and a brown beard. He is wearing a long-sleeve black shirt with a dark blue gilet with 'A.J Harrison Painter & Decorator in yellow text in a badge. He is stood infront of his black work vanCharlie Stubbs / BBC
Andy Harrison said the incident had cost him about £2,000 in insurance costs and lost pay

Drivers who used a fuel station in Shrewsbury that sold contaminated fuel have said they have not been paid compensation six months on.

Between 1 December and 5 December, motorists reported breaking down after buying diesel from The Mount Service Station.

The fuel had been contaminated with water, which the business's director Niroji Gnanapragasam said had been caused by "old pumps and tanks" which "had not been maintained properly".

Niroji added she knew the petrol station was responsible for all compensation and was chasing her insurance company.

"At that time, we thought that only one tank was affected. When we found out that maybe other tanks will be affected, we closed all the diesel tanks," Gnanapragasam said.

"I am aware of the situation, and I agree that there need to be changes done to improve the standard.

"We are fully aware that everything will be settled."

News imageThere is a petrol station with Essar branding with four bays. There is red open boxes on the far left with white signage. On the right-hand side, there is a road with a line of trees to its right.
The business on The Mount, in Shrewsbury, is independently owned and operated as an Essar-branded site

It is unclear how many drivers have been affected. The BBC has been in contact with five of them, with many others reporting problems on social media.

Andy Harrison filled up the tank in his work van on 1 December, but broke down "300 yards down the road".

He said he realised the extent of the problems when he saw how many other people were getting their fuel tanks emptied.

"I got hold of the garage and they said they had had a few issues, so they were sending out a company to empty tanks," Harrison said.

"I was quite unhappy because I was sat there for quite a while, and with a young baby at home, I was quite worried."

The self-employed painter-decorator said he waited for six hours with "cars broken down around him".

He said he had to claim the damage back through his insurance, which meant he lost three years of no-claims and his yearly bill went up by £700.

Harrison added that it meant he had no work van, and was unable to work without it.

"I think they [the insurance] covered most of it, I had to pay a little bit. I would say the best part of £1,000," he said.

Taking into account lost pay and the costs associated with insurance, he said the contaminated fuel had cost him about £2,000.

Harrison said there was "radio silence" from the petrol station and its solicitors, in regards to getting his money back.

He added that he had not been compensated.

Warning light

Four days later, David Bush topped up at the station before driving home to Madeley.

He said he discovered he had problems while on the M54, when a warning appeared on his dashboard.

He said he originally did not connect the fuel to the warning light, until he was told about others reporting similar problems.

"My partner told me that there was a group on Facebook [of people] who had been having problems with diesel purchased from The Mount Service Station," Bush said.

"My car was running fine, although being an engineer, I am aware of the long-term damage water in your fuel system can do."

News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC There is a man in a dark blue puffer jacket, a red polo and round-framed glasses. He has brown hair which is wind-swept up and a brown and grey stubbly beard. He is stood with his car and greenery over his right shoulder.Charlie Stubbs / BBC
David Bush topped up at The Mount and found out there was a problem when he was on the M54

Bush added he only had his fuel filter system replaced as he was not sure whether he was going to get reimbursed.

"I didn't want to go straight for having the entire fuel system stripped out because the garage I was using had quoted over £800," he said.

"Unfortunately [the filter] did not cure the problem and I have continued to live with the warning light coming on."

Earlier this month, he said he had his fuel filter sensors replaced, which "cured the problem".

Bush said he had to pay £444.16, not including the June repairs as that came with a service.

"They should reimburse people fully, not only for the repairs they've had, but also the fuel that they bought that contaminated their vehicle," Bush added.

"If anybody has needed to get hire cars, they should probably be reimbursing them for those as well."

News imageDavid Bush It shows the dashboard of a Honda car. On this, it says 'Water in fuel filter' in white block capital. There is a red trim and a red engine emblem with a red water drop below it. David Bush
David Bush's car showed there was water in his fuel system

The Mount is independently owned, but is supplied by and branded as Essar, which said it was aware of the contamination issue.

It said: "Once the presence of water in the underground tank was identified, the affected tanks were immediately taken out of service.

"The dealer has informed us that this issue has been resolved, and customers can confidently buy fuel from this site."

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