Tourist latest victim of Swinford petrol stretching

DAMAGE Contaminated petrol is thought to have been sold in the Swinford area.

Tourist latest victim of Swinford petrol stretching


Ciara Galvin

An English man who regularly holidays in the Swinford area could be facing costs of £3,000 to fix damage done to his car by contaminated fuel.
Dave Sutcliffe from Manchester believes he is a victim of the phenomenon known as ‘petrol stretching’.
He told The Mayo News that he now cycles a return journey of 20 miles to work each day, as he cannot depend on his damaged car.
Mr Sutcliffe recently heard about the petrol-stretching controversy on local radio while on his latest trip to Swinford, where he has holidayed with his partner, Angela, for the past 15 years.
He had driven from England to Mayo last June, when it is thought the contaminated fuel was present in the Swinford area.
The Manchester man said he had brought over his 2003 Ford Focus to Swinford and refuelled the car in the same petrol station throughout his stay. On returning to Manchester, Mr Sutcliffe’s car troubles began. It started ‘pinking’ or ‘knocking’, he said.
‘Rogue fuel’
“It [the car] has always had a comprehensive service history, and when I took it to the local service station they mentioned ‘rogue fuel’, but I said I always put branded fuel in,” explained Mr Sutcliffe.
The ‘pinking’ started after the couple returned to Manchester, and by September, the car had lost a lot of power.
To date, Mr Sutcliffe has spent £500 on the car, and he estimates that fixing the car could cost up to £3,000.
On this latest trip to Swinford, Mr Sutcliffe had to borrow a car from a friend. He said his ‘heart was in his mouth’ when he heard about the contaminated-fuel controversy, as he had also filled the borrowed car in the same petrol station he visited in June.
“I want to speak to a few more people in the area to get advice before I take it to my insurance company. I think I will report it to the Gardaí, at least there will be a report filed,” said Mr Sutcliffe.