Motorists warned against storing petrol

Motorists are being warned against storing petrol in their homes to protect themselves from potential demonstrations and pre-election blockades.

Zurich points out that storing fuel incorrectly can have a devastating impact, and resulting fires or accidents could invalidate home insurance cover.

It is therefore important to know how to safely and legally store fuel, the insurance firm advises.

Motorists insisting on storing petrol at home are warned against using plastic containers that 'melt' and cause petrol leakage into homes/ neighbouring homes.

In addition, it is illegal to store more than 20 litres of petrol and this must be stored in no more than 2 x 10 litre metal petrol containers. If plastic containers are used no more than ten litres must be stored in 2x5 litre petrol containers, and they should be marked "PETROLEUM" and "HIGHLY FLAMMABLE".

Mark Winlow, managing director of Zurich Personal Insurance Business advises: "Sheds and garages are often a target for deliberate fire setting and the very places where people are most likely to store fuel.

"Storing fuel obviously introduces enormous additional risk of fire and explosion whatever the container."

In the case of blockades, Zurich advises motorists to work from home if they have laptops, car share with colleagues or reduce fuel consumption by driving at a lower speed.

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