i have just been to my local BP garage to fill up my van ready for work tomorrow.
while i was there filled up 20l jerry can.
when i went to pay i was told..
"you cant take that much petrol away from here and it is illegal to use a metal jerry can"
he also said i could be fined upto £1000
and the station could be should down..
i politely told him i thought he was talking out of arse paid and left..
but was he right,cant afford a fine.
er, since when is it illegal to use a metal jerry can?
halfords sell 20ltr ones, if it was illegal i don't think they'd be selling them.
I have been refused fuel from a few places because i had a 20litre jerry can.
Was told i was only allowed by law to carry 10l inside a vehicle.
Definitely talking out of his arse..............probably jealous cuz he couldnt afford to fill a 20 liter can
Go back and tell him he's talking bowlocks and give him a copy of this....
for the jobsworth
A petrol station is only allowed to sell 10 litres in a steel petrol can, which MUST be fit for the purpose and labelled correctly. They can also only
sell you 5 litres if you are using a plastic can. Many dont adhere to the rules as I once saw a bloke filling a 45 GALLON drum in the back of a van !
If the authorities catch them selling large quantities they can indeed be shut down, usually they recieve a fine in the first instance. 
quote:
Originally posted by Paul TigerB6
Go back and tell him he's talking bowlocks and give him a copy of this....
for the jobsworth
The Law
Storage of fuel at home or the workplace (unless specifically licensed) is restricted by law to either metal containers with a maximum capacity of 10
litres or approved plastic containers of a maximum 5 litres capacity. These containers should be designed for the purpose and must be fitted with a
screw-cap or closure to prevent leakage of liquid or vapour.
Petrol and diesel fuel should be stored in no more than two 10 litre metal containers or two 5 litre plastic containers. They should be clearly
labelled as to their contents.
Petrol filling stations operate under license conditions, which do not allow drivers to dispense fuel into other types of container.
At home, fuel containers must not be stored in living accommodation such as kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms or under staircases. Any storage place
should be well away from living areas in case of fire and it should be secured, to protect against the possibility of vandalism or arson.
I'm guessing thats why your not allowed more than 10litres!!
It's been illegal to dispense fuel into containers more than 10l (metal) or 5l (plastic) for a long time. I've always been surprised the
likes of Halfords sell 20l Jerry cans when you're aren't actually allowed to fill them!
Pretty much every petrol station these days have a load of warning notices by the pumps - must be over 16, no phones, no smoking etc. One of these is
usually about filling cans.
Edit: Interesting that BP's policy says they allow filling 23l Jerrycans, and yet further down the same page they say the law only allows storage
in 10l units!
[Edited on 7/9/08 by matt_claydon]
i regulary fill up three twenty l cans for track days and never had any bother a my local morrisons they know im doing it because ive filled the van with diesel at the same time before . obviously traing at bp must be better than else where
i regulary fill up three twenty l cans for track days and never had any bother a my local morrisons they know im doing it because ive filled the van with diesel at the same time before . obviously traing at bp must be better than else where
Thats strange - I've never had any grief filling my 20l jerry can... most ive had is a car full, 20l can plus 2 5 l cans 
The 2 gallon (now 10 litre) metal tin limit came about because that was the standard size of petrol tin from before WW1.
4.5 gallon Jerry can originally spelt Gerry Can came about in WW2 when the Desert Rats discovered the German 20 litre fuel cans were a more sensible
size.
You can fill a 4.5 gallon Jerry if it is rack mounted on the vehicle. I am pretty sure an official dispensation also exist if you say the fuel is
for a boat.
From the BP link it looks like Jerry Cans aren't considered a 'metal container' for the purposes of the regulations - probably so
farmers/army can use them without worry.
As for storage, that can be different without breaking any laws - if you took the can home and emptied it straight into a car/machine it doesn't
count at storage. Which leads to the stupid part of the law as I quite legally have a 50litre plastic container of diesel and a 35litre plastic
container of petrol stored on my drive right now, strapped under the cars.
I'm afraid the garage is correct in the dispensing of fuel;
http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/fuelstorage.php
from what i understand on the HSE website ;
Click
you can fill up any amount at a filling station (most commonly up to 23l) provided that is within their stations "local policy" as it
were
however you can only STORE the 2x 10l cans or 2x 5l plastics as by statute. thus why the petrol station commonly say thats all you can do otherwise
your walking into breaking the law on storing it.
from what i understand on the HSE website ;
Click
you can fill up any amount at a filling station (most commonly up to 23l) provided that is within their stations "local policy" as it
were
however you can only STORE the 2x 10l cans or 2x 5l plastics as by statute. thus why the petrol station commonly say thats all you can do otherwise
your walking into breaking the law on storing it.
never had any problem filling 20L jerry cans. filled 2 up on saturday at a bp garage.
guess i'm breaking the law now then as due to todays trackday at croft being cancelled i now have 40L sat in my garage.