A motorist has complained to retail giant Tesco after being threatened with being reported to police for filling up three jerry cans full of petrol.

Malcolm Cupis claims he was “rudely accosted” by a kiosk assistant at a Tesco Extra petrol station in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, while filling up three cans.

He says he was threatened with being reported to police for ‘illegally’ filling three standard five-litre jerry cans after also putting fuel in his 42-year-old ex-Army Land Rover Gloria.

Mr Cupis, 54, said: “I went to the Tesco Extra filling station to put fuel in my Land Rover and to fill up the three cans for my old classic motorcycles and my lawnmower.

Echo: The Tesco Extra petrol station used by Mr Cupis in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, pictured. Photo via Google Maps. The Tesco Extra petrol station used by Mr Cupis in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, pictured. Photo via Google Maps.

“I was busy filling the cans when the pre-paid pump was turned off and a woman came out of the kiosk and told me I would be reported to the police.

“She came across the forecourt and shouted ‘stop that’ at me in front of other customers. The forecourt was packed and it was quite embarrassing.

“She told me that they had CCTV and that they intended to report me to police for breaking the law and that I was only allowed to fill up two containers.

“When I got home I did some quick research and discovered that there is no law about how many containers that you are allowed to fill.”

Is there a limit on the number of fuel cans you can use at petrol stations?

Mr Cupis said he contacted Tesco via Twitter and asked which article of law they were using to back up their policy on the number of fuel cans that can be filled.

He said he was told that a “maximum of two containers" for the carrying of fuel is allowed by law under the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and the European Agreement Regulations.

But Mr Cupis said he believed that was incorrect.

"Why are they threatening to report people to the police with a law that doesn’t exist?" he said.

A Tesco spokesman said: “Under the Petroleum Consolidation Regulations, we are required to have a policy in place to ensure the safe use of portable fuel containers at our petrol stations.

“Our policy is that only two portable containers (with a maximum combined capacity of 30 litres) may be filled on each visit by a customer.”