Police who mis-fuel cost the force thousands
Police in Lancashire who put the wrong fuel in police vehicles cost the force £15,000 every year.Lancashire Constabulary revealed its police officers and staff are left stranded at the pumps an average of 50 times a year due to fuelling foul-ups.
Putting petrol in diesel vehicles and vice-versa can lead to costly repairs including having to replace the engine.
Now the force's Southern division is trialling a preventative device which featured on BBC 2's Dragon's Den.
Chris Malkin, fleet manager for Lancashire Constabulary, said: "Throughout the force we are currently averaging 50 mis-fuels per year which equates to a cost of approximately £15,000.
"It is a priority for us to reduce this number and we are testing several different initiatives to ensure that mis-fuelling becomes a thing of the past.
"These initiatives – including the mis-fuelling devices and coloured tags on fuel caps – are proving successful as over a two year period, mis-fuelling instances have fallen significantly."
Dragon's Deborah Meaden and Theo Phaphitis invested £250,000 for a 25% stake in company DDN Ltd which created the Misfuelling Prevention Device (MPD).
The Southern division, which covers Chorley, Leyland and Bamber Bridge, is trialling it in all its Vauxhall Astras until the end of the year.
The MPD works by replacing the fuel filler cap on virtually every model of diesel car, van and light commercial vehicle to prevent the nozzle of unleaded petrol pumps being slotted into the wide-bore neck of diesel tanks.
Mr Malkin added: "One of our main aims is to reduce vehicle down time and maintain and ensure the maximum number of response vehicles are available 24/7."
An AA spokesman said: "If someone realises they have misfuelled, they should ideally not start the engine and call us for advice.
"In most cases, a fuel drain will be required."
