Tesco petrol station rule could land drivers with a criminal record

Motorists using Tesco petrol stations could unintentionally fall foul of the law and face fines up to £20,000 due to little-known rules. The legislation stems from Tesco's policies regarding how fuel is dispensed, specifically when drivers choose to fill jerry cans or similar containers rather than putting petrol or diesel straight into the tank.

Tesco permits the filling of a maximum of two containers per customer, with further conditions applied in line with guidelines from the Petroleum Enforcement Authority. These rules specify that these containers must collectively not exceed 30 litres—the most a private individual is legally allowed to store.

Only approved containers made of plastic (up to 10 litres) or metal (up to 20 litres) are acceptable at Tesco stations. All petrol containers must also bear clear labels reading "PETROL" and "HIGHLY FLAMMABLE" include a danger warning sign, and indicate the container's capacity in litres.

Additionally, they are required to display the manufacturer's name alongside the manufacturing date and month. Tesco cautions: "As petrol is a highly flammable substance, ignoring these rules could pose a serious danger to yourself and others." It goes on to state: "Transporting illegal quantities of fuel can also result in heavy penalties - including a possible 12-month conviction and fines of up to £20,000."

A Tesco spokesperson told the Oxford Mail: "Under the Petroleum Consolidation Regulations, we are required to have a policy in place to ensure the safe use of portable fuel containers at our petrol stations. Our policy is that only two portable containers (with a maximum combined capacity of 30 litres) may be filled on each visit by a customer."

This statement comes amid new regulations being implemented at Asda and Sainsbury's petrol stations, where a £100 pre-authorisation check will now be required before motorists can fill up. This measure is designed to verify that customers have enough funds to pay for the fuel they dispense, aligning with new industry standards set by Visa and Mastercard.

In addition to these changes, Asda has announced an overhaul of drive-thru payment kiosks at 82 superstores, which began in December, resulting in forecourt staff being reassigned in-store. An Asda spokesperson commented: "More than 90 per cent of all payments on our Superstore forecourts are made via card or a contactless device."

They added: "The colleagues who worked on these sites are moving into the store so they can better serve our customers." The spokesperson concluded by noting that these updates started in December and the transition is expected to be completed later in 2024.