UK supermarket petrol station's fuel mix-up sees driver handed £3k bill

A Devon man is facing a huge bill after a mix-up at the petrol station. Forklift driver Graham Stevens was filling up his Vauxhall Insignia estate at the Morrisons petrol station in Tiverton on September 26. But, without him knowing, the ‘diesel’-labelled pump was incorrectly dispensing unleaded petrol.

Stevens said: "I put in £50 of what I thought was diesel. I live just a minute away, so I didn't notice anything wrong at first. But, when I set off for work early the next morning, the car started spluttering and eventually died."

He managed to drive 18 miles to work in Dunkeswell, where the car broke down. A mechanic told him that the fuel injectors in his car had probably been blocked due to petrol contamination. A temporary repair cost £300, but a full fix was estimated to be £2,800. Stevens claimed that Motor Fuel Group (MFG), which operated the petrol station, admitted fault, saying that the pipes were installed incorrectly.

"They told me not to contact them again and that their insurance company would be in touch," he said. "But I've heard nothing since."

And he’s not the only one who this has happened to. A number of other victims have posted about their same experience on social media. Stevens said he had "heard of nearly 40 people with the same problem".

He said: "It's appalling. There's been no empathy, no support. I was lucky I had £400 in my pocket to get the car going again, but I can't afford the full repair."

Fergus Alexander, 65, and from Tiverton, said he put £70 of ‘diesel’ into his car, which then broke down shortly after, only to find out it was actually petrol.

Jamie Wilson, 24 and also from the town, topped up his car with ‘unleaded’, but about 15 minutes later, his car broke down and he found out it was diesel.

Wilson was forced to leave his car on the side of the road over the weekend until he could take it to a garage on Monday, where he paid £200 in repairs.

Morrisons and MFG have been contacted for comment.