A garage manager who turned away customers, claiming he had no petrol, allowed large plastic bottles to be filled and loaded into a waiting car.

The giant bottles were placed in a rubbish bin while being filled up on his forecourt. The bin was then dragged into the garage's car wash where the bottles were loaded into the back of a red Mercedes.

Save Service Stations Limited today launched an investigation after the Telegraph & Argus contacted them about the incident at the garage in Leeds Road, Idle, Bradford.

Company spokesman Heather Louro said: "We are investigating this allegation and would like to look at the photographs the T&A have taken. We take this sort of thing very seriously."

When confronted by a Telegraph & Argus reporter, forecourt manager Mohammed Qadeer, who had earlier refused the same reporter any petrol, said the bottles had been filled by his cousin who he would not name.

He said the unleaded fuel was being taken to another garage worker, Mohammed Asif, who had run out and needed to fill his car up before he came into work.

Mr Qadeer said: "In this situation we are not allowed to serve customers, except the emergency services and our own staff.

"My cousin used the bin because if motorists saw the bottles being filled up then everybody would try to get some petrol."

He said the garage had 300 litres of fuel left but had closed while he waited for fresh supplies to get through.

Trading Standards officer Bruce McKay said it was up to the manager's discretion whether he served a customer.

But he added: "From the sounds of it, fuel was being put in non-approved plastic containers. We have worked very closely with Save in the past and I should imagine they would take this matter very seriously."

It is an offence to hoard petrol but according to West Yorkshire Fire Brigade, people can keep small quantities provided it is kept in no more than two metal containers not exceeding nine litres or two approved plastic containers not exceeding five litres.