Grim survey finds poo on nation's fuel pumps along with seven more health hazard germs

Visiting the petrol station is a common task as we fill up our motors and it's a practice carried out by millions of people every day across the country.

Grabbing the pump to top up the tank is one of those mindless jobs we all have to do but the next time, you might want to sanitise your hands straight after.

That's because a bacteria study of petrol pumps on forecourts has found that ALL of them had traces of faecal matter on them.

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The grim discovery was made by NationalScrapCar.co.uk who were trying to establish the germs present on these frequently used items.

Vehicle experts visited petrol stations across the country and swabbed the pumps - diesel, unleaded and pay at the pump monitors. And they even took samples from the door handles too.

And the results painted a grotty picture. As well as the poo presence found, they also discovered a host of other types of bacteria was on the pumps.

They found the presence of several bacterial pathogens lurking on the pumps, including salmonella and E. coli. Some of the bacteria found can be a risk to health.

Escherichia coli (E. coli)

A commonly occurring microorganism, E. coli can be found everywhere from keyboards, to kitchen sides and inside our intestines! Due to its presence in the human gut, E.coli grows quickly in faecal matter and is a strong indicator of faecal contamination (traces of poo).

Coming in various strains, some of the most dangerous types of E. coli are responsible for food poisoning, diarrhoea, vomiting and urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens)

Clostridium perfringens are found almost everywhere and often in decaying vegetation and our intestines. Despite its commonality, C. perfringens is the third largest cause of food poisoning in the UK. With its spores able to withstand cooking temperatures, if cooked food is left to stand for too long germination can start and develop infective bacterial colonies.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly found on cockroaches and in their faecal droppings. This bacterial pathogen is most likely to infect people who are immunocompromised, it typically infects the airway and urinary tract but can also cause infection in injuries following a trauma.

Salmonella

Salmonella bacteria is another pathogen mainly associated with food poisoning. Infections from this bacteria usually occur when a person ingests foods that contain a high concentration, with infants and young children far more susceptible. Salmonella bacteria live in the gut of many farm animals. They can affect meat, eggs, poultry and milk with foods like green vegetables, fruit and shellfish contaminated through contact with manure in soil or sewage in the water.

Salmonella can also be spread from person to person by poor hygiene like not washing hands thoroughly after going to the toilet, or after handling contaminated food.

Faecal streptococci & enterococci

Faecal streptococci and enterococci can be found in animal and human stomachs and intestines so their presence indicates faecal matter contamination.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)

Staphylococcus aureus is another bacteria that can cause infection, commonly occurring in domestic environments. Although it is not always illness-causing, in some instances it can result in food poisoning and respiratory and skin infections. S. aureus is also responsible for relatively minor conditions like acne, boils, cellulitis and folliculitis, and life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia.

Bacillus Cereus

Bacillus cereus is a type of bacteria often found in soil and food. Some variants are harmful to humans and can cause foodborne illnesses, severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Bacillus foodborne illnesses occur due to the survival of the bacterial spores when food is improperly cooked.

The city which was found to be the worst culprit for germ-ridden pumps was Nottingham. The petrol stations in the area are close to the M1 which means they are visited by scores of drivers. But the discovery of an elevated level of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1720 colony-forming units) found is concerning.

Tomas Gabor, director at industrial hygiene consultancy Sysco, said: “A count of 1720 CFU is significantly higher than typical levels expected. Even when compared to a clean toilet seat, the levels usually sit below 100 CFU/cm².

“It is unlikely that a Pseudomonas aeruginosa CFU count of 1720 could make a healthy adult seriously ill, but it could pose risks to those with weakened immune systems or open wounds.

“Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause skin infections, respiratory issues, and infections in immunocompromised individuals."

London had fewer bacteria than Nottingham. And Dorry Potter at National Scrap Car offered one theory for this.

"It is interesting to see that London had one of the lowest counts of bacteria on its pumps. This could be a byproduct of the increased use of EVs, as the city has the country’s leading ULEZ."

Manchester also had less bacteria on pumps than Nottingham.

Dorry added: "Disinfecting your hands with hand sanitiser after using fuel pumps (and before you get back into your vehicle) could help stop you from carrying bacteria home. It is particularly important to clean your hands if you are planning on eating directly after visiting a petrol station to limit the risk of illness.

“You may also want to keep antibacterial wipes in your vehicle to disinfect the steering wheel if you have touched it after handling fuel pumps.”

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