Several thousand motorists in the region recently complained of vehicle problems after filling up at supermarket forecourts. Many of the affected drivers reported their cars breaking down because of contaminated fuel.
Initial tests from retailers Tesco and Morrison found no problems, but fuel distributor Harvest Energy has now stated that the problem can be traced back to relatively high silicon concentrations in the tanks at Vopak’s fuel depot in Essex.
The problem was not originally identified because the presence of silicon is not normally tested for. According to the BBC, following the findings, Morrison has stopped selling unleaded fuel at 41 sites in the affected region, while Tesco is draining its unleaded petrol tanks at 150 forecourts in the Southeast of England.
Meanwhile, as motorists have been avoiding supermarket forecourts in the area, traditional petrol retailers have been accused of profiteering, by putting up prices on their fuel by several pence.
