FRAUDSTERS who sold thousands of tanks worth of fake fuel have been jailed.

Government officers inspected a petrol station in Pulborough and found kerosene mixed with diesel.

The gang continued to sell the illegal fuel to motorists, and cost the tax man millions in lost revenue.

One petrol station owner boasted of buying a Bentley with the proceeds of the crime.

Meanwhile it was estimated that the damage caused by the mixing of fuels led to motorists facing £70,000 worth of repairs.

In total the gang sold 4.8 million litres to unsuspecting motorists, enough to fill nearly 100,000 empty tanks for an average car.

At Wood Green Crown Court, five men, including three from Hastings, were jailed for their part in selling the fake fuel.

“It was a deliberate, gross and continued trick on the general public,” Judge Noel Lucas QC said.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) inspected the Pulborough petrol station in 2013, and found kerosene, an aircraft fuel which is not approved for road use. It was found in the underground diesel tank.

Investigators found that Christopher Reardon, 56, from Hastings had supplied the kerosene and faked 679 sales invoices to hide the true identity of his customers.

The Argus:

Those included brothers Dean Chapman, 43, from Romford, Essex and Darren Chapman, 50, from Rochester, Kent, who owned the petrol station in Pulborough.

After being rumbled, the gang continued their scam and used biodiesel supplied by Carole O’Hara, 68, and Peter O’Hara, 72, both from Hastings.

Darren Chapman was jailed for eight years and two months after being found guilty of tax fraud and fraudulent trading, while his brother Dean was jailed for four and a half years. Reardon was jailed for four years.

The Argus:

The O’Haras received two-year suspended prison sentences and were ordered to pay £40,000 in costs, each.

HMRC fraud investigator Richard Wilkinson said: “The gang knew what they were doing was wrong, but even after being challenged by HMRC officers and investigated by Trading Standards officers, they continued to flout the law and sell illegal fuel.”