A petrol station was so busy last night that the fire brigade had to be called after 'smoke' was seen coming from a pump.

Fire fighters were called to Sainsbury’s petrol station in Kiln Lane, Epsom at 9.20pm after reports of smoke pouring from a pump. On investigation it was found that a pipe had frozen due to the amount of petrol being pumped through it which created a jet of cold steam.

Riyadh Calloo, acting manager of the petrol station, said this morning: "There is a big demand for petrol at the moment and there has been for the duration of the days we have been open since Tuesday afternoon.

"We actually ran out of fuel at about 9.30pm last night. We have had a delivery this morning, but Kiln Lane is the only petrol garage within 6-7 miles which still has petrol so people are coming from Twickenham and the surrounding areas to fill up.

"I have stopped some people from using unauthorised containers to store petrol. We are trying our best to check and be as vigilant as possible, but we have 16 pumps and there are a lot of people here.

"There is a queue for about a quarter of a mile down the road."

Epsom fire station watch manager Sean Tickner warned that people must be aware of the conditions in which petrol should be stored to stop fire or an explosion.

He said: "If people are going to store fuel they should do it correctly. Fuel should not be kept in the house but outside or in the shed. If petrol is stored in the house, there is a danger of petrol fumes building up and igniting, causing a fuel explosion.

"It will be difficult to make insurance claims for the cost of any damage which has resulted from storing petrol in the house.

"It is hazardous to store petrol in incorrect containers. It must be stored in an adequately ventilated atmosphere, in containers with a screw-on lid. Ad hoc containers such as old tins or cans should not be used to store petrol. The correct containers can be purchased from retail outlets such as Halfords and Wilkinson and at petrol stations."

He added: "Storage should be kept to a minimum - we consider one gallon of petrol to be sufficient to meet people’s needs. It is illegal to store more than 15 litres of fuel without a petroleum licence. People should contact their local fire station for more information about petrol storage and call 999 if they believe they have a fuel leak or any potential fire hazards."

Call Epsom fire station on 01372 722223 Call Leatherhead fire station on 01372 372226