Smelly fumes gone

Ben Bradshaw, UK Minister for Local Environment Quality, has published consultation proposals to control escaping fumes from service stations.

The fumes, when combined with nitrous oxide, form a key ingredient of summer smog in cities in calm sunny weather. The proposal is for the fumes to be collected in petrol stations and recycled as fuel.

Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is seeking views on whether large service stations in the UK should fit equipment - known as Petrol Vapour Recovery stage II controls - to control the fumes.

The measures being proposed will help capture 16,000 tonnes of volatile organic compounds a year from 2010 - over half of the current emissions from petrol stations.

Ben Bradshaw said that the measures would help to improve the quality of the air by limiting the chemical fumes can lead to smog, health problems and damage to trees, vegetation and crops.

"Petrol fumes from service stations contribute to air pollution and lead to smog in warm weather. Fitting the new equipment that can capture these fumes will help to cut risks to public health and the environment."