I was first refused more than 15L of petrol by Tesco in Edinburgh 2
years ago and made enquiries about the matter.
I first contacted the DfT. They sent me a guidance note which said,
inter alia,
"Petrol Regulations made under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act
1928 control the quantities of petrol permitted to be kept in containers
for private use. This limit also applies to carriage. A
maximum of two metal container each up to 10 litres capacity, plus a
maximum of of two suitable and appropriately-marked plastic
containers each up to five litres capacity, can be kept in a motor
vehicle".
I regards this note as rubbish and an example of government departments
making 'law' on the hoof. Applying the limit to carriage is at odds
with what follows below, and plastic containers in 1928!! Plastic
containers were the subject of Regulations made in 1982. I suspect the
10 litre containers were the old two gallon ones, which at the time
were the only containers specifically designed for the job.
I also obtained a copy of a circular issued by the Health and Safety
Executive intended to give advice to Petroleum Enforcement Officers. In
what follows I have used inverted commas where I am quoting directly
---From the Guidance Note, which was reviewed in 2003.
The 1928 Act and the regulations made in 1929 and 1982 "control how
petrol can be kept. They do not specify the capacity or construction of
containers that can be legally filled at petrol filling stations or that
can be carried on a vehicle travelling on the road."
The 1929 Regulations "exempt certain quantities of petrol kept in metal
containers from licensing requirements. The petrol............. must
not be for sale"
"Up to 275 litres of petrol can be kept in any one storage place without
a licence............In calculating the 275 litre limit, the petrol in
the fuel tanks of vehicles in the storage area is included in the total"
But, and I think this is because they don't know about the marvellous
20 litre ones, "the maximum container capacity for keeping petrol is 10
litres"
The 1928 Act and the Regulations "do not exercise any control over the
carriage of petrol on vehicles for private or work use" They "are
solely concerned with the commercial transport of hazardous substances
and do not cover petrol carried on a vehicle for private use"
"At filling stations, there is no specific legal restriction on the type
or number of containers that can be filled................petroleum
licensing officers should advise filling station operators to ensure
that only containers suitable for the purpose are filled"
I also spoke on the phone to the local Petroleum Officer who confirmed
that there had been no change in the regulations since the issue of the
guidance note quoted above. I phoned Tesco Head Office but I don't
think they were interested, Certainly there has been no change in their
practice.
Short answer is - avoid Tesco. Morrisons, and Asda (if you have an Asda
card 2p off) are usually cheaper. If you have a 'Morrison's Miles' card
you will get a =A35 voucher to give to your wife every now and then; it
certainly pleased my wife!
Frank Mycroft
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