The Metropolitan Police has spent tens of thousands of pounds on fixing cars filled with the wrong fuel, new figures reveal.
The fuel flap of every police car shows whether it takes diesel or petrol – but during the last three-and-a-half years the force spent £83,858 repairing damaged engines.
Careless officers have filled cars with the wrong fuel 242 times since April 2014.
The figures, obtained after a Freedom of Information request by MailOnline, reveal a shocking waste of taxpaypers’ money after the force was asked to cut its £3.5bn budget by £800m before 2020.
The Metropolitan Police has spent £83,858 on fixing cars that officers have filled with the wrong fuel over the last three and a half years, new figures reveal (stock photo)
Careless officers have filled cars with the wrong fuel 242 times since April 2014 (stock photo)
John O’Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, criticised the wastage.
He told MailOnline: ‘Not only do these costly errors mean that there are fewer vehicles immediately available for officers, it means that there is less money available for essential frontline policing.
‘Of course mistakes happen but the authorities must remember that when taxpayers are struggling to pay their bills, every penny counts.
| Financial year | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | April 2017 – October 2017 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Litres of fuel purchased at commercial petrol stations | 9,498,631 | 9,229,030 | 9,103,459 | Not provided | n/a |
| Number of times cars were filled with wrong fuel | 85 | 60 | 68 | 29 | 242 |
| Repair costs | £36,092 | £23,410 | £14,518 | £9,838 | £83,858 |
‘Met bosses must do better to minimise these incidents in the future and punish any repeat offenders.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘The number of incidents in which vehicles were filled with the incorrect fuel are a tiny proportion of the hundreds of thousands of times the vehicles were refuelled during this time period.
‘Overall, the misfuelling rate is continuing to decrease year on year.
Careless officers have filled cars with the wrong fuel 242 times since April 2014 (stock photo)
‘The MPS ensures that every vehicle has clear indication of which fuel is required on fuel flaps and vehicle log books.
‘In addition, manufacturers are now integrating preventative misfuelling technology.’
Footballer Wayne Rooney, pictured, filled up a new £90,000 car with the wrong kind of fuel in 2008 (stock photo)
In 2012 it was estimated that putting the wrong type of fuel in a car cost British motorists at least £150 million a year.
Somebody puts diesel in a petrol tank or vice versa every one minute and 45 seconds, meaning 300,000 vehicles per year need to be repaired.
It costs between £500 and £3,000 to fix a car and only half of owners can claim the cost back on their insurance.
Industry experts believe the rising number of people switching to more economical diesel cars is to blame for the gaffe.
Even celebrities aren’t immune – with footballer Wayne Rooney filling up a new £90,000 car with the wrong kind of fuel in 2008.
He was forced to call out a motorway patrol after after the vehicle broke down on a motorway in Cheshire on Monday evening.
He was travelling eastbound on the M62 when he had to pull into the hard shoulder in the £90,000 customised Range Rover Sport V8.