'Bio Diesel' Safety Warning Issued

Rising fuel prices - with costs at the pump hovering at around £1.20 per litre - are leading many to make their own bio diesel at home, Defaqto said today.

However, while the firm acknowledged that making bio diesel at home remains perfectly legal, they warned that failing to notify home insurers that you are making the fuel could lead to the firms refusing to pay out in case of accident. 

The comments follow the recently-reported case of a Northamptonshire man who was injured after making bio diesel through mixing cooking oil, ethanol and caustic soda - and suffered 20 percent burns when he accidentally ignited the mixture.

Mike Powell, consultant for general insurance at Defaqto, advised: "The dangers of producing your own bio diesel are very real; however, for some people the savings to be made are very enticing. If you are intending to manufacture your own bio diesel, you should first check with your home insurer to confirm that cover will be provided against any damage caused to your home.

"Finding out after an explosion that cover is not provided could leave you in a disastrous financial position, as the costs of repair would be beyond most people's reach. If the worst was to happen and your home was completely destroyed, then being homeless is a far more worrying position to be in than saving a few pounds by producing your own diesel."