A MAN has been jailed for two years for dodging taxes by mixing different fuels.

Charnjit Sing Randawa, aged 51, of Main Road, Hallow, Worcestershire, was jailed for the £79,000 fraud on Tuesday, March 21.

A court seized £24,805 of Mr Randawa's criminal proceeds after a hearing at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday, April 6.

Mr Randawa bought cheaper fuels - which were not taxed - and mixed them with diesel.

He sold the diesel through his company, GR Fuels, and profited from the extra fuel duty.

The fraud emerged after a testing unit found kerosene in the tank of a taxi, which filled up at a station owned by Mr Randawa.

Peter McDermott, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, said: "Randhawa not only defrauded taxpayers but he conned honest customers, who thought they were buying legitimate fuel.

"Crime really doesn’t pay. We are determined to recover stolen tax from criminals who think they can steal from the public purse and get away with it.

"This recovered cash will be directed to where it should have been - toward funding vital public services."

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs also said that Methanol was detected in the fuel supplied by the company.

Mr Randawa used the profits from his fraudulent activity to live a luxurious lifestyle, which included owning an Aston Martin and a Range Rover.