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24/10/2008
Essex police have fitted a number of devices to their diesel-fuelled cars to prevent drivers filling them up with petrol.
The force has installed voice recordings telling drivers "this is a diesel vehicle" when the fuel cap is opened. It is adding devices that make it difficult to fit a petrol nozzle into a diesel tank.
According to reports in The Mirror and The Telegraph, the force has had to pay out more than 200 times in five years to fix damage caused by fuel confusion.
A spokesperson said: "Part of the problem is that modern diesels are so good and quiet that drivers can be easily fooled into thinking that they run on petrol."
Motoring charity the RAC Foundation said that devices that prevent mis-fuelling could be implemented on a wider scale to prevent damage to other vehicles.
"An estimated 120,000 drivers put the wrong fuel in their cars every year, which can lead to very costly repair bills," Elizabeth Dainton, the foundation's research development manager, told Admiral News.
"This idea could be rolled out to other vehicles. Fleet or hire cars would be good vehicles to target in the first instance, due to their high number of users."
Adding petrol to a diesel car's tank can cause damage to many components in the car's fuel system, and possibly even to its engine. Repair costs can be less than £100 if the car has not been driven, but in the worst cases they may reach several thousand pounds.
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