Drivers fuming after cars break down following fill-up

Karen Davidson, Pamela McInnes and another woman all bought petrol from the Braeside Services BP garage in Cumbernauld Road, Muirhead, on different days at the start of October.

The women had just left the fuel station when they experienced problems with their cars.

Karen (44), who lives in Moodiesburn, had to pay £408 to have her Vauxhall Meriva repaired. She said: “I was heading towards Moodiesburn when the warning lights started coming on and the car was sluggish.

“The AA came out and took me to a Vauxhall garage. They phoned the next morning to say it was contaminated petrol.

“I phoned the BP garage and was told to contact Trading Standards. I also wrote two letters to the garage, but I’ve had no response.

“I’ve had to pay a lot of money. If the garage had said they were looking into it that would be fine, but they are just ignoring it.”

Pamela, from Moodiesburn, had to pay around £120 to have her Peugeot 307 fixed. The 40-year-old said: “My car cut out and wouldn’t re-start.

“I’m always really wary of picking up the right pump so I knew that it was petrol I put in.

“Right away the AA said it was contaminated.

“I went to the garage with a sample out of the fuel tank. I spoke to the manager on the phone who said the fuel was checked the week before and it was alright then.

“This is too much money to let go.”

Karen and Pamela are considering taking the matter to the small claims court.

Another woman, from Chryston, also had problems with her Toyota Yaris.

She said: “I was less than half a mile from the garage when the car just stopped in the middle of the road.

“I called a mechanic out. Most of the tank was full of black gunge. The mechanic went with me to the BP garage to show them the sample.

“They said I was the only person to have complained. I had to pay about £150 for the car to be recovered and fixed.”

The women have all contacted Trading Standards.

When the Herald contacted the BP garage, a spokesperson said: “All I can say is that the first protocol is to contact Trading Standards and for them to come out and take a sample.”

A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council’s Trading Standards team said: “A small number of complaints have been received and we are awaiting results of samples taken.”

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