Driver's £500 repair bill due to contaminated fuel

A motorist was left with a £500 repair bill due to fuel she bought from a Sainsbury's petrol station being contaminated.

Mirren Brewer filled her car up on 10 February at the station on Worcester Road, Droitwich, and completed the school run before a warning light flashed up on her dashboard.

Her fears were compounded when she saw people complaining on a local Facebook page about the same garage she had used and a mechanic later confirmed the fuel she had used was "contaminated with water".

A Sainsbury's spokesperson apologised and said it would "review each case and offer an appropriate resolution".

Brewer said despite the damage she felt "lucky" her car had not suffered a "horrendous amount of damage".

But she added: "Needless to say, it's still cost me quite a few hundred pounds with garage costs, the fuel that was drained, which was £40 and the £50 of having the car towed.

"We're talking roughly about £500 in total."

Sainsbury's has since informed her that she would be reimbursed for her troubles but Brewer said she would avoid that garage from now on.

"I've got to be honest and say it has put me off. It's not something I want to happen again," she explained.

The Droitwich mum added: "I personally will now choose to pay a little bit extra to go to a different fuel station.

"I just don't trust it anymore. It's sad really because I want to save money but I'm not willing to go through this hassle again."

A Sainsbury's spokesperson also told the BBC: "Following further tests at our Droitwich petrol filling station, we identified evidence of water in some diesel pumps during a limited period between 10:40 on Monday 9 February and 17:45 on Tuesday 10 February."

They added: "Customers will be asked to provide proof of purchase for the fuel, along with documentation and costings from a local garage for any damage they believe was caused so that we can review each case and offer an appropriate resolution."

The supermarket giant also confirmed the tank at its Droitwich garage had been "closed off to customers while repairs are completed".

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