15th September 2004

Petrol retailers call proposed labelling on petrol pumps a recipe for confusion

UKPIA, the trade association representing the main oil refining and marketing companies in the UK, has requested the Government to withdraw legislation (Statutory Instrument 2003 No 2110) on labelling of petrol pumps as it refers to an out of date British Standard. As a result it offers inadequate protection for the motorist and is a recipe for confusion.

Chris Hunt, UKPIA’s Director General commented “ We urge the Government to rescind this legislation, which otherwise will require all petrol and diesel pumps in the UK to be re-labelled by November 2004, with a reference to an out of date British Standard. It is a recipe for confusion to consumers. It may also lead to many petrol retailers, who are unaware of the requirements, being prosecuted for selling fuel not fully meeting the latest British Standards.”

He continued ” The British Standards Institute has traditionally covered this area of labelling and standards. The BSI standards for petrol (BS EN 228) and diesel (BS EN 590) have recently been updated to cover a number of changes to protect consumers, including the upper limit for blending of biodiesel with conventional diesel, the quality of the biodiesel that can be blended into diesel without invalidating vehicle warranties, standardisation of nozzle colours for petrol and diesel to reduce misfuelling, as well as more informative labelling. The Statutory Instrument is inconsistent with this new British Standard and should be withdrawn”