A major petrol station chain has been forced to temporarily shut pumps on one of its sites that potentially caused a number of cars to break down.
Several motorists who filled up their tanks at the BP garage on London Road in Rayleigh, Essex, have reported that their vehicles stopped working shortly afterwards.
In a repsonse, BP stated that one of the tanks containing fuel could have been contaminated, saying that it has now been isolated.
A BP spokesman said: “We have identified an issue at the site with a potentially contaminated tank, which is currently under investigation,” reports The Sun.
They added: “The affected tank in question has been isolated and the site is now open and operational. We are taking steps to assess the potential impact and determine the number of people who may be affected.”
Express.co.uk has approached BP for comment.
It is believed that around 100 vehicles that were filled up at the petrol station were affected by the fault, which was likely due to water contaminating fuel in the tank.
This can make the fuel more difficult to burn, resulting in a number of issues including engine misfires, worsened power and economy, and corrosion in the fuel system.
In most cases, drivers who have broken down due to contaminated fuel will need to get their vehicle’s tank drained and replace some items, including spark plugs and fuel filters.
Speaking to the Daily Gazette, Lee Pretlove, owner of the petrol and diesel draining service Fuel Out, highlighted that the issue has caused a spike in work for the company.
He added: “It has been crazy; I haven’t seen something like this for ages as there was a similar incident in Wickford three years before this.
“We never see this many at all, the technicians pass jobs on to us and we have had loads of calls, we have been inundated.”
BP urged customers who have concerns about contaminated fuel should report them by emailing careline@bp.com.