Motorists have reported problems after filling up with petrol

Scores of car owners have been towed to local garages saying they have broken down after filling up with petrol from supermarket fuel stations.

The problem has been reported across the north of the country from Anglesey and over the English border to Cheshire and the Wirral.

Garages say they have had to empty fuel tanks and give pipes a thorough clean at a cost of up to �200 per customer.

North Wales Recovery Service in Llandudno Junction said they had dealt with up to 30 incidents in the last week.

At first I thought someone had spiked the petrol, because of the war Driver, Colleen Park

Owner Silvester Wilson said: "We have taken samples from cars and it seems there is some sort of matter in the fuel that forms a film over the fuel filter.

"When left overnight it dries, blocking the filter and stopping fuel from getting to the engine."

Colleen Park, who lives in Pont y pant near Betws y coed, was taking an elderly patient on an outing from Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor when her car broke down.

The AA received more than 90 calls at the weekend

"At first I thought someone had spiked the petrol, because of the war," she said.

"The car had been catching and juddering over the Ogwen pass on my way to the hospital.

"After picking up my 78-year-old passenger we headed to Anglesey but on the Britannia Bridge the car jerked then came to a stop.

"I have kept a sample of the fuel and the damaged filter and will probably put in a claim," she added.

Arwel Edwards from Pandy Motors garage in Tregarth near Bangor has treated four cars which had "died" after filling up at local stations.

He said the contaminated petrol looked and felt the same as normal petrol but did not have the same distinctive smell.

Local authority trading standards officers have received scores of complaints which they are investigating.

John Reynolds from Gwynedd Trading Standards said there was no clear evidence as to the cause of the problem.

He advised motorists who were affected to keep a sample of the faulty petrol if they wished to make a complaint and to contact their local trading standards office.

Common denominator

An AA spokeswoman said they had dealt with more than 90 incidents over the weekend which is a vast increase in the normal number of call-outs they receive.

"We are yet to get to the bottom of the problem but fuel seems to be the common denominator for all the cases," she said, adding people should hold on to their receipts when buying fuel and fixing their cars.

A spokesman for Tesco - one of the supermarkets affected - said: "Naturally we are concerned about it. We have commissioned independent tests on the petrol.

"Those so far have been all clear. We are now testing some cars that have been affected."