Issued By North Yorkshire County Council

SAFETY CHECKS URGED ON LPG CONVERSIONS

FEARS about the safety of vehicles which have been converted to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) has prompted trading standards officers in North Yorkshire to offer free checks.

They are now urging traders and consumers in the county to have their vehicle independently examined by a consultant engineer.

On the safety issue there are three main areas which will be checked:

o Dangerous mounting of the fuel tank which would mean that the tank could come loose in the event of an accident.

o Dangerous lack of venting – The valves on the fuel tank must be in a sealed box and vented to prevent gas reaching the passenger compartment.

o Dangerous installation of fuel filler and fuel lines. These have to be well-secured and protected from damage and chafing against other parts of the car. They must not be in vulnerable positions subject to accident damage.

Stuart Pudney, head of trading standards and regulatory services for North Yorkshire County Council, said: "There have been cases of cars bursting into flames after conversions have been incorrectly fitted, so this is a very serious issue for us. Engine problems on poor conversions are most frequently caused by installing the wrong type of equipment for the particular model of car and can lead to damage to the catalytic converter and backfiring, which will explode any gas in the intake system causing considerable damage. There is no charge for the examination and the customer will have the peace of mind in knowing their vehicle is in fact safe."

The checks will be carried out as follows: Monday, February 17 – Harrogate;
Tuesday, February 18 – Northallerton; Wednesday, February 19 – Scarborough

If anyone wants to take up this free check, then contact Karen Ward on 01609-766423

Contact: Richard Flinton on 01609-766400

NOTE TO NEWSDESK: You are invited to send a reporter/photographer to cover the safety checks. Please contact Karen Ward to arrange a suitable time and location.