Irish 'green' fuel illegal for UK use
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by Karen Miles • Hauliers were this week warned to avoid "green" diesel from the Irish Republic following a change in the law that has rendered the fuel illegal on UK roads.
The move was greeted with delight at the Irish Road Haulage Association and the Road Haulage Association, which have been calling for the lowduty fuel to be outlawed.
A Customs spokesman says: "Should any haulier be approached and offered green diesel it must be treated like red diesel. It is not legal and any haulier found using the fuel will be open to fines and possible prosecution".
Customs will net around £3m a year in extra fuel duty; the ban will also help eradicate unfair competition from hauliers using the cheaper fuel.
Green diesel has always been illegal for on-road use in the Republic but a legal loophole had meant that the marker chemical in the substance was not regis tered as illegal in the UK. The UK's red diesel, is illegal on UK roads.
Customs looked into the issue after receiving complaints from hauliers and fuel suppliers who said that some operators were filling up near the Northern Irish border for half price.
IRHA president Sheila McCabe estimates that a fifth of all hauliers crossing the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland have been using green diesel. She says one Southern haulier claimed it saved him £15,000 a month.