Police filling up with the WRONG fuel costs Scotland Yard £288,000
POLICE drivers who fill up at the wrong pump have cost Scotland Yard more than a quarter of a million pounds over the past five years.
Despite warning signs on the fuel caps, members of the Metropolitan Police Service managed to put diesel into petrol vehicles or petrol into diesel vehicles on nearly 1,000 occasions between 2008 and 2013.
The expensive blunders, costing an average £290.76 to put right, have left vehicles useless until their fuel tanks are pumped out. The frequency of misfuelling at the Met is shown by figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Between 2012 and 2013 it cost the Met £47,909 for the 138 times it happened.
This was at least an improvement on 2009 when 298 staff used the wrong type of fuel at a total cost of £96,274.
In all, 991 misfuels have cost the force £288,151. A spokesman for the Met tried to pour oil on troubled waters, saying: “These figures include the entire Metropolitan Police fleet, including hire and lease vehicles, the number of which has averaged about 5,800 over the past five years.
“Since 2008 MPS vehicles have been refuelled in excess of one and a half million times. Mistakes are a tiny proportion of refuelling.
Simple measures, such as reminders on fuel caps, should ensure officers do not make this simple but expensive error.
“The MPS operates a mixed fleet of both petrol and diesel vehicles with a gradual move towards more diesel vehicles. Overall, the misfuelling rate is decreasing year on year. We ensure that every vehicle has a clear indication of which fuel is required on fuel flaps and vehicle log books. In addition, manufacturers are now integrating preventative misfuelling technology.”
Jonathan Isaby, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Damage caused by refuelling mistakes costs taxpayers a fortune and means fewer patrol cars available to fight crime.
“Simple measures, such as reminders on fuel caps, should ensure officers do not make this simple but expensive error.
“Repeat offenders should have to take responsibility for the costs incurred if they make the same blunders despite the quite obvious warnings.”
The AA estimates that at least 150,000 drivers put the wrong fuel in their car every year. That’s one driver every three and a half minutes.
If you do fill up with the wrong fuel, the AA advises you not to switch on the engine because this increases the damage and the repair bill.
