A fuel laundering plant which is said to have had the capacity to make about 50,000 litres of illegal diesel per week has been shut down in County Tyrone.

Officials seized 15,000 litres of laundered fuel and 5,000 litres of red diesel during the operation at farm buildings in Moy on Thursday.

The joint police and customs operation also uncovered a lorry with a 6,000-litre tank inside as well as pumping, storage and filtration equipment.

A customs spokesman said the plant's capacity to launder fuel would have meant a weekly revenue loss of up to �25,000.

Laundering plants "put honest filling stations out of business"

He added: "This was a highly sophisticated operation and its discovery is another significant hit on the illegal fuel trade and shows the benefit of close working with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

"We have repeatedly warned motorists to think before buying cheap fuel.

"It puts honest filling stations out of business, robs the taxpayer of money for public services and puts the motorist's vehicle at risk of serious engine damage."

Agricultural

The spokesman said that laundering plants brought additional dangers as the chemical residue was often dumped "without regard to the local environment".

Laundered fuel is red or green diesel which has been filtered through chemicals or acids to remove the government marker.

The chemicals and acids remain in the fuel and damage fuel pumps in diesel cars.

Red diesel is for use in agricultural machinery, and not for use in road vehicles, in the United Kingdom.

Green diesel is the Republic of Ireland's equivalent.

The customs spokesman added: "With the recent increase in customs officers, close working with the police and other agencies and the establishment of the organised crime task force, we believe that government action has slowed the growth of oils fraud."

He said inquiries into the fuel laundering operation were continuing.