A petrol station boss has been convicted of illegally hoarding petrol during the fuel crisis to give out to friends and relatives.

Ishfaq Hussain Shah, 27, of Masham Place, Bradford, the franchisee of the Save Service Station on Commercial Street, Shipley, pleaded guilty to contravening the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 when he appeared before Bingley magistrates yesterday.

Save Service Station bosses are also investigating the matter and today apologised to customers following Shah's prosecution by the West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority,

The court heard that at the height of the fuel crisis in September he removed petrol from the underground storage tanks and put it into unsuitable plastic containers so he could dispense his remaining stocks to friends and family. The fuel was then transferred into cars under cover of the car wash.

The West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority - the licensing authority for petrol stations - investigated after receiving a tip-off from a member of the public.

Magistrates fined Shah £800 and ordered him to pay £500 costs.

Following the case, Paul Dawson, petroleum officer for the fire authority, said Shah had stored 150 litres of petrol in a number of 25-litre plastic containers next to the service station's kiosk.

He said: "By law you can only keep petrol in plastic containers with a maximum capacity of five litres and under the same law have a maximum of two containers.

"Some plastic containers can be degraded by ultra-violet light and if that happens petrol can escape which could lead to a fire or explosion.

"If you have a fire plastic containers are much less resistant than the tanks or metal containers. This was an unsafe practise and the case was pursued in the public interest to highlight the dangers.

"It started at a time when there were thoughts there could be another fuel crises and we had reason to believe that members of the public were, and still are, storing petrol in quantities in excess of what is allowed by law and in containers that are unsafe.

"Hopefully this case will highlight the dangers and consequences of doing so to other people.

"In the event of a fire in a property where petrol is being stored like there's not only a potential danger to them but to fire officers and other members of the public as well.

Heather Louro, assistant network director for Save, said the matter was being investigated.

She added: "Save was dismayed and disappointed to hear of the prosecution of one of its licensees as it's our policy to treat all customers fairly. We apologise for the fact that our licensee didn't at the time maintain the standards that Save expects.''