POLICE forces have spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on repairs to cars after officers filled them with the wrong type of fuel.

Mark Wallace, TaxPayers Alliance campaign director, branded the spending as “a huge waste of taxpayers’ money”.

He added: “People will be disgusted by so much waste. This should not happen and police officers should be competent enough to fill up patrol cars properly.”

North Yorkshire Police had to spend £21,600 on 108 repairs to patrol cars over the past five years due to the issue. The rural force spent an average of £200 per car to have the affected tanks drained to stop the wrong fuel reaching the engine.

Richard Flint, head of transport for North Yorkshire Police, said: “We acknowledge that there has been an issue with staff putting the wrong fuel in vehicles. As a result, all new vehicles in the force’s fleet will have a device fitted to prevent the incorrect fuel being used.

“We are also now undertaking trials of equipment that will be fitted to the rest of the fleet if it proves successful.”

Cleveland Police spent £14,504.45 after officers put the wrong fuel in patrol cars between April 2006 and October 2008 and it has taken place 12 times since.

A Cleveland Police spokesman has said “This is an issue that causes us concern, however, a lot more awareness training has taken place.

“Diesel fuel guards have been added to older diesel vehicles and the new Ford Focus has a different shaped nozzle.

“As well as the increased awareness staff are encouraged that if they have put the wrong fuel into a vehicle not to start the car or this increases the cost of the damage.”

Durham Police spent £1,323.36 on six incidents in 2006, £4,394.93 in 2007 on 14 mistakes and £3,000.59 on 12 errors in 2008.

A Durham Police spokesman said: “Most errors occur when officers are refuelling off-site.

We have installed an on-site fuelling system in a bid to reduce instances in which officers put the wrong fuel into vehicles.”

Northumbria Police spent £1,093.99 on nine mistakes over 2005-06 and £9,303.65 on 73 mistakes from 2006-07 and £10,954.55 on 84 errors over 2007-08.

Force fleet manager, Keith Wilson, said: “Northumbria Police has a total stock of 1,000 vehicles which clock up several million miles a year.

“There is always a margin for human error and people can, and do, make mistakes. Stickers are placed on the fuel cap of vehicles stating the type of fuel to be used.

“All of our new cars are fitted with a misfuel device as standard, which prevents the incorrect fuel nozzle being inserted.”