SIMPLE action by fuel companies could save fleets tens of thousands of pounds a year through ending the misery of drivers mistakenly putting the wrong type of fuel in their cars, according to a leading fleet.

Following a string of 70 mis-fuelling incidents so far this year, Hampshire Police is calling on the industry to reshape diesel nozzles to avoid the problem and save taxpayers' money.

Fleet manager and Fleet News Special Award winner John Bradley also fears that the introduction of high pressure direct injection units could lead to rocketing costs for repairing mistakes in future.

He said: 'We are worried that with new technology arriving on the fleet, the bill could soar to thousands of pounds each time there is a mistake because the fuel injection systems on the cars will be damaged.'

Misfuelling is a common problem with both fleet and private drivers, but simple action taken by the oil companies would help, including agreeing a common colour standard for nozzles, Bradley insisted.

His fleet of 800 vehicles is about 63% diesel, with a further 35 vehicles running on liquefied petroleum gas. He added: 'Technology in cars has come on leaps and bounds, yet oil companies cannot solve a simple problem like making different nozzles for different fuels.'