# Hydrocarbon Oil Duties Act 1979, Section 20AAC: Prohibition on mixing of aqua methanol

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) Aqua methanol on which duty under section 6AG(3)(a) of this Act has been charged must not be mixed with any relevant substance.
(2) In subsection (1) “relevant substance” means biodiesel, bioethanol, bioblend, bioethanol blend or hydrocarbon oil.
(3) A person commits an offence under this subsection if—
(a) the person intentionally uses aqua methanol in contravention of subsection (1) above, or
(b) the person supplies aqua methanol, intending that it will be used in contravention of subsection (1) above.
(4) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) above shall be liable—
(a) on summary conviction in England and Wales—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months (or 6 months, if the offence was committed before 2 May 2022), or
(ii) to a fine not exceeding £20,000 or (if greater) 3 times the value of the aqua methanol in question,
or both;
(b) on summary conviction in Scotland—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or
(ii) to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or (if greater) 3 times the value of the aqua methanol in question,
or both;
(c) on summary conviction in Northern Ireland—
(i) to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months, or
(ii) to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or (if greater) 3 times the value of the aqua methanol in question,
or both;
(d) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years or a fine, or both.
(5) Any aqua methanol, or any mixture containing aqua methanol, in respect of which an offence under subsection (3) above has been committed shall be liable to forfeiture.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/5/section/20AAC (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/hydrocarbon-oil-duties-act-1979/section-20AAC
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.