DRIVERS are being warned not to change their car's fuel themselves following a national scare over contaminated petrol.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding motorists that draining petrol tanks can pose a serious risks of fire and injury.
Chief Officer John Bonney said: “Working with flammable substances is hazardous because of the risk of fire and explosion and it should only be carried out by fully-trained personnel.
“If drivers have concerns about possible contaminated petrol, they should take their cars to a garage to be independently examined. Even when using an approved fuel retrieval system, petrol removal must only be carried out in a well-ventilated area, preferably in the open air, well away from pits or other openings in the ground, and from which all ignition sources have been excluded.”
Last week drivers in the south east feared they had filled their cars with contaminated fuel after their vehicles began to breakdown and misfire.
Problems were traced back to petrol stations at Tesco and Morrison's supermarkets.
Yesterday (March 6), the supermarkets vowed to pay for damage caused to vehicles after a fault was found in some supplies of unleaded petrol.
A batch of fuel at an Essex filling station was found to be contaminated with silicon.
Local authority trading standards officers are advising consumers who have experienced problems to have their vehicles independently examined at a garage.
If contaminated fuel is found to be at fault, customers should obtain a written report confirming this and save a sample of the petrol in a safe, approved container.
They should also retain the original proof of the fuel purchase.