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A supermarket chain is facing demands for pay outs to be issued to motorists after a fuel pump mix-up left them with potential repair bills of up to £3,000.
The Morrisons petrol station in Tiverton, Devon, has caused major problems for many motorists after they unwittingly put the wrong fuel into their cars.
After many motorists filled up, it was found the petrol pump was dispensing diesel – and vice versa.
As a result, drivers left the service station totally unaware they had the incorrect fuel in their engines, which led to some experiencing breakdowns shortly afterwards.
Now a number of drivers have had to foot the bill for expensive repairs.
Among them, forklift driver Graham Stevens was given a repair bill of £2,800 after his filling the tank in his Vauxhall Insignia estate with unleaded petrol, instead of diesel.
He told BBC News: ‘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 was then told that the fuel injectors in the car’s engine were blocked due to contamination from the petrol after his visit there on September 26.
The Morrisons petrol station in Tiverton, Devon had the diesel and petrol pumps mixed up
Motor Fuel Group (MFG), which owns the petrol station, admitted to Graham that the mistake was their fault.
However Graham said he was told not to contact them again and is yet to hear from their insurance company, despite promises from MFG.
Graham said he cannot afford the repairs needed.
Now the supermarket chain is facing demands to compensate the motorists who have been impacted.
Taking to Facebook, one person wrote: ‘Customers should be compensated for their error.’
Another commented the incident was ‘shocking’, adding: ‘I wonder how much it will cost them to put right!’
Another wrote: ‘Give the supermarket the bill. They will have to pay.’
Some motorists reported issues with their cars after fuelling up at the station (stock image)
And another said: ‘Drivers not facing any Bill. Morrisons are.’
However, many pointed out in a local Facebook group that the station is not owned by Morrisons, and is now owned by MFG.
More drivers took the same Facebook group to share their experiences after filling up at the petrol station.
One mother said both her car and her daughter’s car were affected.
Susan Trudgill wrote: ‘Both my Daughter and my car broke down, have had to hire a rental and just got 1 car back from garage repairs costing £108. Plus rental £220 still one car to go. Not happy.’
Another wrote: ‘Happened to my car, had to abandon it at the side of a road and it cannot start up. Filled up a whole tank pretty much…’
One driver claimed it is not the first time the mix-up has happened at the garage.
They said: ‘Happened to me October last year. I put 30 quids worth of diesel in and got home and my car was running rough. Took it to the garage and was told there was petrol in the tank.. It cost me over 3k to fix.’
MFG and Morrisons have been contacted for comment.
