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BBC - Morrisons & Tesco withdraw fuel

Trading Standards are still being less than informative with the information they are releasing. What exactly do they mean by 'can cause "serious problems" in petrol engines' -

"Firms curb supplies in fuel scare

Two supermarket chains at the centre of the "faulty fuel" alert have moved to stop supplies of suspect petrol.

Morrisons has stopped selling unleaded at 41 outlets supplied by the Vopak depot in Essex - at the centre of suspicions over fuel.

Tesco is to empty its unleaded petrol tanks at 150 outlets in the South East, but will refill them with new stocks and continue selling the fuel.

Tesco's own tests found "significant silicon contamination" in its fuel.

A company statement said: "These tests show evidence of some significant silicon contamination in samples taken from unleaded petrol released from the Vopak terminal around 10 days ago.

Laboratory

"We believe this to be the source of contamination subsequently experienced by some customers in the south-east of England."

Other tests on petrol taken from the tank of a car affected by allegedly faulty fuel have detected the presence of silicon, trading standards officers said earlier.

Cambridgeshire County Council's trading standards department had the fuel sample tested at a London forensic science laboratory.

A spokesman said silicon in the fuel could indicate the presence of silicone - a class of chemical compounds containing the element.

Such products are used in diesel as anti-foaming agents, but can cause "serious problems" in petrol engines, a trading standards official said. ""

was no doubt a response to this from the Trading Standards Institute -

"Fuel Tests Confirm Contamination

2nd March 2007

The first tests carried out for Trading Standards authorities on potentially contaminated petrol samples, following complaints from thousands of motorists, have confirmed the presence of silicon.

Ian Hillier, Lead Officer Petroleum, Trading Standards Institute, said: 'The first result is from a sample of unleaded petrol supplied by a motorist in Cambridgeshire whose car suffered a breakdown.

'Silicon products are used by fuel producers as anti-foaming agents in diesel. However, Silicon can cause serious problems in petrol engines, particularly in modern cars with computerised fuel management systems. Silicon can build up as a deposit on sensors causing them to malfunction.

'As these are preliminary findings and because further tests are being carried out, no information will be released at this stage on where the contaminated petrol had been purchased.'

Trading Standards Officers are now working with the supermarket chains whose filling stations were affected to find the source of the problem and to ensure that consumers obtain proper redress.

They are also checking back through the supply chain in a bid to identify how and when the petrol became contaminated."

Tesco press releases -

Morrisons press releases -

Reply to
Daytona
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This from a company that vehemently denied any contamination in it's product. It's statement that it's fuel complied to BS 1234 or whatever had no meaning to me - I doubt the standard specifies the permitted level of mouse droppings in it, let alone the levels of any of an infinite number of harmful contaminants. It probably contains a list of the ratio of allowable ingredients.

And why has Tescos share price gone *UP* today with the prospect of millions of quids worth of repairs they are potentially liable for?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Possibly because the contamination isn't their fault? You can bet they'll be either passing the buck to the fuel supplier or reclaiming any compensation that they have to pay out to customers from the fuel supplier.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

They did say the fuel was not contaminated, not that is was not their fault. Sounds like a knee jerk defensive lie to me. Not to be trusted.

And they will pass on the inevitable claims to their supplier (assuming it is their fault), but I would think the news would harm their share prices.

I did notice that my local Morrisons was berift of customers tonight, even though we are in an unaffected area (W. Yorks)

Bob

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

*ding*

Plus, the margins are so tight on petrol, any lost sales will barely make an impression on the end of year figures.

Reply to
SteveH

They may not lose any money (i.e. the forcourt is a "lost leader"), but the forecourt is a honeypot to attract people to the supermarket, so does have value.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

You think so?

You'd be wrong.

People don't choose their supermarket on the basis of a PFS. They may buy petrol as a result of shopping at the supermarket, though - plus, forecourt shops and 'services' are hugely profitable. That's where they may get hit, but, again, it's small fry compared with main store turnover and profits.

Reply to
SteveH

Neither does your sentence. It's means "It is". I think you mean its, in both cases.

Tony

Reply to
Tony Brett

A "loss leader" not a "lost leader" ! I agree that the pertrol station attracts people to the shop where you have a small-ish local shop but I think it's the other way round when you have a petrol station attached to a big superstore.

Tony

Reply to
Tony Brett

Is this gibberis?. Not that I think it is not sensible to say what someone does not think :-)

Bereft, not berift!

Tony

Reply to
Tony Brett

I think you mean gibberish :-P. They stated that the fuel was not contaminated. They have not been denying liability, because according to them, it is was not the fuel.

(Ex English teacher)

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Pertrol? Is this a new substance?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Three posts in one short thread and all you have "contributed" are three critiques of other people's spelling and grammar.

Reply to
Brimstone

That one gets me every time (both = 3?). I do know that "Dougs Car's" in Hull is incorrecty apostrophised (Oh-oh, made up word! D- )

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

With a mistake in each. I just had to point them out to improve his near godlike command of the English language.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Smith

Gibberish not gibberis.

pedant

Reply to
Icky Thwacket

I think that "gibberis" is probably the old Latin spelling of the modern word, so that would make him an ex Latin teacher. So useful in this day and age.

Reply to
Brian

"Tony Brett" wrote

It's means "It is".

Ding, incorrect.

"It's" means "it is" OR "it has"

As in "It's been ages since I've encountered a bigger tosser on Usenet"

HTH.

Reply to
Knight Of The Road

Time for the angry flower again:

formatting link
Enjoy :)

Reply to
Mike Henry

I'm not an ex-english teacher though. Such a person should understand the difference between its and it's

Tony

Reply to
Tony Brett

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