Vegetable oil car heads off on road trip

net1

A motorist has set off on a Land's End to John O'Groats trip in a car fuelled by vegetable oil.

Daniel Blackburn, a forester from North Pembrokeshire, is undertaking the journey in his 1.9 litre turbo Citroen ZX to promote "veg oil" motoring.

The 32-year-old has converted his vehicle - named "Oily" - so it can run on the standard vegetable oils sold in shops.

Mr Blackburn believes motoring with cooking oil for fuel is safer for the environment, cheaper and better for his vehicle.

"I think it is crazy that we are all driving around in fossil-fuelled cars and nobody is doing anything about it," he said.

"Vegetable oil is cheaper than diesel, makes the exhaust smell nice and has safer emissions. By using it as fuel you can save the planet and save money at the same time."

After stocking up on vegetable oil and pouring it into the car tank, Mr Blackburn records how much he has used and later pays extra duty to the Government.

It is illegal to use cooking oil in vehicles without paying extra duty.

Mr Blackburn plans to spend around three weeks making the trip.