Mobile lab to halt petrol stretching

A MOBILE laboratory is being put in place to tackle the problem of petrol stretching, which is leading to serious damage to vehicles and loss of revenue for the State.

Mayo Deputy Michelle Mulherin welcomed the move after highlighting the fact that no prosecutions have taken place despite significant petrol stretching in Mayo since June 2014 and over 296 cases being investigated.

She said: 'I am delighted. I have been calling for a mobile laboratory to tackle petrol stretching since last year and it’s great news that it is now going to come to pass. This mobile laboratory will be dispatched to petrol stations in order to test the quality of the petrol at the time of delivery.

'This should serve to detect and deter petrol stretching and will mean that, in the case of contaminated petrol being identified, there will not be a time lag of a few weeks waiting for results to come back from the State Laboratory. Furthermore, a new marker has been developed to assist in the detection of a contaminant in petrol, something which up to this point has proved extremely difficult. 

'Petrol stretching is a scourge in Mayo and throughout many parts of rural Ireland. Legitimate filling stations are out of pocket. The cost to the taxpayer through loss of revenue has not been quantified. The burden of financial loss on the hundreds of individuals whose vehicles have been destroyed is immense in particular where they have no insurance cover.

'However, I was very disappointed to receive confirmation from the Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald, that no prosecutions have taken place despite significant petrol stretching activity in Mayo since June 2014. Since that date 296 cases have been investigated by gardaí and 44 by the Revenue Commissioners. However, there have been no prosecutions at all and no files gone to the DPP. This is disconcerting in the extreme.'