An illegal, makeshift filling station near Newbridge has been closed down and dismantled by HM Revenue and Customs officers.
Known as a “huckster site”, the makeshift station sold illegal fuel.
Alongside 17 vehicles, HMRC road fuel testing officers removed 4,750 litres of a red diesel and kerosene mix, storage tanks, pipe work and other equipment from the site near Newbridge.
Kerosene attracts a lower rate of duty, and is often added to diesel in a process known as “stretching”. Officers seized 17 vehicles containing the fuel. They were restored after payment of a penalty, plus excise duty.
Stuart Fenton, from HMRC’s South West and Wales Road Fuel Testing Unit, said: “Cheap diesel might seem like a bargain, but stretched fuel is not. Kerosene is not designed as a fuel for the modern car engine. It makes diesel more combustible, and prolonged use would undoubtedly damage the engine of any vehicle.”
A man has been questioned and investigations are continuing.