Dramatic photos show LPG-fuelled Range Rover on fire near Skipton

A Range Rover has been completely destroyed after it caught fire on the A65 near Skipton last night.
By Grace Newton
Published 24th Jul 2020, 11:39 BST
Updated 24th Jul 2020, 11:42 BST
The Range Rover was completely destroyed in the fire on the Skipton bypassThe Range Rover was completely destroyed in the fire on the Skipton bypass
The Range Rover was completely destroyed in the fire on the Skipton bypass

Photos taken by police officers show the 4x4 left a burned-out wreck after the blaze near the A59 junction on Thursday evening.

The Range Rover was running on LPG fuel, meaning police had to shut the road as there was a risk of explosion.

Nobody was injured in the incident.

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LPG is a much cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to petrol. It stands for liquefied petroleum gas, and is also referred to as butane, propane or autogas.

It is a by-product of crude oil refineries, and was traditionally seen as wastage before its potential as a low-carbon fuel was realised.

Most cars can be converted to run on liquid gas, though it costs around £2,000 and few UK service stations stock LPG.

The tanks also take up boot space and make the car heavier - yet LPG is around half the price of petrol.

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Police had to close the A65 and let the fire burn out because of the risk of explosionPolice had to close the A65 and let the fire burn out because of the risk of explosion
Police had to close the A65 and let the fire burn out because of the risk of explosion

Around one per cent of cars in the UK are now thought to run on it, but the government haven't incentivised LPG conversions yet and haven't promised to exempt it from higher duty in the future.

The presence of compressed gas also means there's a higher risk of fire - as the unfortunate Range Rover owner discovered.

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