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The 2007 UK petrol contamination problem arose on 28 February 2007 when motorists in South East England reported that their cars were breaking down. Motorists blamed supermarket petrol sold by Tesco and Morrisons with most of the fuel sold by supermarkets in the South East coming from the Vopak terminal in the Thames Estuary, through the independent oil supplier Greenergy,^[1] who are part-owned by Tesco.^[2] Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 581 KB) A man filling petrol on his car. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) This Flagship Randalls store in Houston, Texas is an example of an upscale supermarket. ... Gasoline is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Tesco plc is a UK based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. ... Morrisons store in Morecambe, Lancashire Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc (LSE: MRW) is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ... Royal Vopak is a Dutch company, that stores and handles various oil and natural gas-related products. ... The Thames Estuary is a large estuary where the River Thames flows into the North Sea. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it believed suspect fuel might have damaged oxygen sensors in some cars' systems, leading them to cut power to prevent damage to the engine. ^[3] Silicon products are used as 'anti-foaming agents' in diesel fuel, but even very small quantities can cause serious problems in petrol engines.^[4] The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is the trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry. ... Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), inventor of the diesel engine. ...

Then on the evening of 2 March scientists who had been testing the petrol reported finding traces of silicon in the fuel.^[5] Morrisons immediately announced that it was to stop selling unleaded petrol at 41 outlets supplied by the Vortek terminal while Tesco was emptying and refilling tanks at 150 petrol stations but was not suspending sales.^[6] General Name, Symbol, Number silicon, Si, 14 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 14, 3, p Appearance as coarse powder, dark gray with bluish tinge Atomic mass 28. ...

Tesco has been criticised for what one newspaper described as a cover up with claims that they had been alerted to the problem as early as 12 February. Affected motorists are facing bills of several hundred pounds to repair their cars and, with up to 10,000 cars needing repair, the two supermarkets could be liable for compensation claims of up to £10 million.^[7]

Trading Standards officials have advised motorists to keep petrol receipts, take a sample of the fuel, obtain quotes from garages for repair costs and approach the petrol station where the fuel was purchased.^[8] The Trading Standards Institute is the professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas. ...

References

1. ^ "Thousands of drivers 'sold suspect petrol'", David Millward, Daily Telegraph, 1 March 2007
2. ^ "The great petrol mystery splutters on", David Derbyshire, Daily Telegraph, 2 March 2007
3. ^ "No sign of petrol contamination", Reuters, 1 March 2007
4. ^ "Silicon found to be rogue element in petrol", Barrie Clement, The Independent, 3 March 2007
5. ^ "UK petrol probe finds silicon in fuel", Reuters, 2 March 2007
6. ^ "Firms curb supplies in fuel scare", BBC News, 2 March 2007
7. ^ "Rogue fuel 'cover up' could cost stores up to £10m", Evening Standard, 2 March 2007
8. ^ "Q&A: Contaminated petrol", The Guardian, 1 March 2007