Sainsbury's investigate 'contaminated' fuel in Chippenham

Matt Jones and his mother Sylwia were among a number of locals left with car issues after filing up with unleaded petrol from the Sainsbury’s petrol station, on Bath Road in Chippenham, on Wednesday, February 7.

At the time of writing, unleaded petrol was unavailable from the busy filling station while Sainsbury’s investigated the matter further.

Mr Jones, 21, filled up his car with petrol shortly after 6.30pm before heading towards Corsham, where his car broke down on a roundabout near the town centre.

His mum Sylwia came to help, but the pair were left on the side of the road until 2am the next morning while waiting for the car to be towed.

During this time, Mrs Jones called Sainsbury’s and claims she was informed by customer services that there had been several reports of “contaminated fuel” causing issues for drivers.

The Sainsbury's petrol station in Chippenham (Image: Google Maps)

She said: “I was told by the garage there were other cars with the same issue, it seems to be quite widespread, and Sainsbury’s told me the fuel was contaminated and looked milky.

“It’s very frustrating, I understand that things happen but it was a catalogue of disasters, the car broke down and we ended up sitting in a cold car for seven hours.

“My son was in quite a state because people were sat in a queue beeping at him and he didn’t know what to do.”

The pair have been informed repairing the car could cost at least £399 and specialists are now working to drain it due to “water contamination.”

They fear that seeking compensation for the incident could be a “lengthy process.”

Mrs Jones added: “Matt has been left with no transport and I don’t know how he will get to work for however long it will take… there might be some engine damage.”

Sylwia Jones' son was one of the motorists affected (Image: Sylwia Jones)

Multiple other drivers have reported similar complaints on social media after filling up at around the same time, claiming their vehicles broke down or started “juddering”.

Sainsbury’s apologised for the inconvenience caused by the incident and said they will keep their customers updated.

A spokesperson added: “We have received a small number of complaints from customers who used the unleaded pumps at our Chippenham petrol filling station on Wednesday afternoon.

“Unleaded petrol is unavailable while we investigate and we continue to offer diesel and super unleaded.

“We will keep our customers updated and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this may cause.”