Hi everyone, I hope u are all having nice weekends and are enjoying this lovely weather. Does anyone know how much diesel you are allowed to store at home in Jerry cans? I have seen rules mentioning 30L but they seem to be specific to petrol only. There are many comments on the web but most of them are BS and I was wondering if anyone knew the rules for sure please and could back it up with a link to a reputable source like the legislation? Thank you!!

No idea but why would you want to store diesel in large quantities anyway?

Have a read of https://www.gov.uk/oil-storage-regulations-and-safety and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carriage-of-dangerous-goods-guidance-note-23 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carriage-of-dangerous-goods-guidance-note-23/carriage-by-private-individuals-of-diesel-un1202-petrol-un1203-and-kerosene-un1223-by-road
for the legistation.

The why question still applies though.

Given the current 'crisis' I would suggest the reason is fairly obvious :)

30L is the maximum you can store at home, regardless of petrol of diesel.

Thank u everyone, those articles are very useful

Alhambra King, are u sure the limit is 30L, the official articles all seem to indicate that limit is for petrol only and I think the limit for diesel is actually much, much higher. It is quite difficult to get a clear answer on the websites as a lot of them start off talking about "fuel" but then describe the rules for "petrol" whereas my interest is mainly "diesel".

I think I will also call someone like BP and ask them, they should know. Or maybe the fire brigade, one would expect them to have the answers ready.

Obviously it's better not to store any at all if and when possible - safety is always the very first consideration!!

Like others I have been urging people not to fill up their motor cars unless absolutely essential.

From the HSE publication on fuel storage:

QuoteWHAT'S THE LIMIT?
HSE official guidelines state that you can legally store a combined limit of up to 30 litres of petrol or diesel fuel at a domestic residence or non-workplace premises in the UK.

Fuel has to be stored in clearly marked, suitable metal or plastic containers or one demountable fuel tank or a combination of either, so long as no more that 30 litres is kept.

The containers must have been manufactured specifically for the storage of fuels as they can protect against impact damage, naturally occurring UV radiation and won?t degrade due to exposure to fuels."

Thank you, that's really helpful and it sounds like 30L is a sensible limit.

I do wonder however why they would write "HSE official guidelines state that you can legally store..." (do HSE official guidelines have any legal authority?)

My thinking here is that if it's the law, then they would presumably say something like "You can legally store..." (i.e. missing out the otherwise unnecessary bit about "HSE official guidelines state that") rather than talking about the limits in terms of being "guidelines".

Out of interest, does the booklet refer to the relevant legislation?

It's all so confusing! hehe

You will do well to find somewhere that is able to sell you 30 litres of fuel at present, a problem exasperated by the arse holes filling cars and Jerry cans out of panic. No doubt the same w@nkers that still have a garage full of bog rolls and bags of pasta from this time last year!

Never cease to amaze me the outright selfishness of the human race, I mean fighting on garage forecourts over a few litres of fuel. What is this country coming to?!

Anyway that?s my rant over

Yes, it's so terrible, there is plenty of fuel for everyone yet they all go out there panic buying and causing a shortage! Shame on them, there would be no shortage if people didn't do that sort of thing. As you say, very selfish indeed. :-(

I for one didn't stock up on toilet paper during the lock down. Several years ago I learnt the art of having a shower immediately after my morning toilet activity, some might say it's a little gross but personally I think it's actually cleaner because you wash everything off properly rather than just wiping it. It's faster, cleaner, better for the environment and cheaper too - and you don't have to worry about shortages of the stuff either! I highly recommend it. Although you still do need a little paper if you go during the day (i.e. no shower). My apologies for the level of detail but if just one person follows my lead then I will have helped the planet - and maybe saved them a little money too!

As an aside, I called the Fire Brigade and they told me the 30L limit is for petroleum spirits only and that because diesel is a type of heavy oil there is a much bigger limit, he said something like 230L. I also double checked by calling the petrol company and they said the same thing. However I still am looking for written confirmation on an official website or similar. Obviously it is never a good idea to store fuel at a domestic premises anyhow unless absolutely necessary and then only providing all regulations and laws have been fully complied with and all safety practices followed to the letter. Safety and full compliance with the regulations/laws must always come first, without exception!!

S-D-A - I stand to be corrected, but I think you may find that the same legislation that regulates the storage of domestic heating oil also applies to diesel/DERV. If you have sufficient space on your property, you may be able to install a bunded tank and take a bulk delivery. My mind has been working along these lines for several decades now, but I have only just reached the point where a bunded tank installation is feasible (space-wise). My family operate four diesel-engined vehicles, and sharing a bulk stock is an attractive idea.   

The link I posted above does give details for Diesel storage, and reading it suggests as you say, that the same stipulations apply (and are detailed on that link). There does appear to thresholds/volumes stored where you need to make some extra precautions as you mention (bunded tanks etc).

Apologies for the rather late post on this subject, but I have been making further enquiries about this topic. Specifically, I wanted to find our what interest Building Control has in the storage of heating oil and diesel fuel on private premises, and the answer I received from our local BC office is that as long as an oil tank is not connected to an adjacent building (as in a pipe connecting an oil tank to a boiler or cooker), then BC has no interest in a 'stand-alone' tank installation. And a Petrol Enforcement Agency certificate is not required for diesel. BC simply drew my attention to legislation regarding pollution and fire risk.

So it seems that if you have the space to install a bunded tank, it is down to your oil supplier to decide whether to deliver to you, and your insurer to decide whether to insure you.

Access for delivery is an issue; I have been advised by one fuel supplier that the smallest delivery tanker is the size of the waste collection vehicle which might come around to empty bins, in which case it will not be able to use the service road at the back of the property where I can install a tank.   

Fascinating, absolutely fascinating and very handy to know