Police forces in the UK have spent nearly £400,000 in the last five years on repairing their fleets after officers filled patrol cars with the wrong fuel, according to an exclusive Auto Express investigation.
Since 2011, there have been 2,147 incidents of an officer putting the wrong fuel in their vehicle while on duty – more than one every day. And the problem is getting worse, with the figures in the 2015 financial year the highest of the last five according to our Freedom of Information request.
The error has cost forces a collective £390,061 to repair misfuelled vehicles – at an average of £181.68 each time. Forces spent a total of £378million on fuel in the last five years, meaning £1 is spent on repairing a misfuelled vehicle for every £970 spent on diesel or petrol.
• What do do if you put petrol in a diesel car
The force with the biggest repair bill was the Metropolitan Police, although it’s also top of the table for the amount spent on fuel (£64.6m), given its huge fleet. But taking fuel spend into account, Warwickshire is the worst offender, spending £1 on repairs for every £331.99 on fuel.
Some forces haven’t racked up any misfuelling errors, though, and both the Greater Manchester Police and Northern Ireland forces have bunkered fuel sites with pre-programmed keys to ensure the correct type of fuel is dispensed.
• Tyre pressures and tread depths: your safety check guide
AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said police misfuelling cars represent a mere fraction of the 150,000 cases a year. He added: “It’s an annoying and avoidable mistake that will take a vehicle off the road and place an extra burden on stretched resources.
“But it shows that police officers are human like the rest of us. Stress and pre-occupied minds are often the cause of misfuelling mistakes, which fleet managers can try to beat with fuel-tank labelling and reminders.”
Top five UK police forces for misfuelling repair bills
We reveal the forces with the biggest repair bills for misfuelled cars in the last five years. The Met Police tops the table but it also spends the most on fuel.
- 1. Metropolitan Police - total repairs £167,118.00
- 2. Kent - total repairs £25,629.00
- 3. Derbyshire - total repairs £16,078.53
- 4. Hampshire - total repairs £14,070.64
- 5. Devon and Cornwall - total repairs £13,118.00
Is this level of misfuelling an understandable mistake or should police forces be doing more to lower the number of incidents? Let us know in the comments...