One businessman in Egremont is doing something positive about the soaring cost of diesel at the pumps and the even higher cost to the environment of burning it. 
Saeed Parkasour runs his vehicles on used cooking oil, much of it produced by his own takeaway, the Chattanooga, on the Main Street, and some from other establishments. Out of forty litres of waste oil, he can produce thirty-five litres of good quality bio-diesel, which has the double advantage of being very cheap and producing far fewer hazardous fumes when used.

He took us into his tiny workshop to show his equipment. The oil neds to be heated in his kitchen, filtered and washed to remove impurities. It is then transferred to the reaction tank, beside which he stands in our photo. In order to remove acid he treats it with a solution of five litres of methanol and 300 grams of caustic soda. At the end of the process a thin film of soap is left on top of the diesel, and this he skims of and uses, though it is not of commercial quality. The remaining oil is ready to be pumped into his vehicles.

Just in case a queue of vehicles forms outside the Chattanooga waiting to be filled with cheap, envioronmentally friendly fuel, Saeed warns of one snag: he cannot get enough used cooking oil to supply more than his own needs at present. Nevertheless it is exciting to know that a new technology for producing greener fuel is in use on our own Main Street.