ENVIRONMENTAL campaign group Greenpeace has highlighted the delivery and distribution of fuel through a Thurrock terminal, saying it is helping fund Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.

Greenpeace, which has admitted its members trespassed at the Navigator terminal in West Thurrock at the weekend in an attempt to disrupt the docking of a vessel, the Andromeda, carrying fuel that originated in Russia, says fuel tankers from the 'big four' supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's Asda and Morrisons - have been filling up at the terminal and therefore are not fulfilling a pledge to back a ban of Russian goods.

The campaign group have pictured Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons fuel trucks leaving West Thurrock and then offloading diesel at forecourt storage tanks across the south and East Anglia.

They say the fuel comes from a 33,000-tonne shipment of Russian diesel delivered to the terminal.

Campaigners fear this means drivers could be unwittingly filling up on diesel that is directly funding Putin's war in Ukraine. Greenpeace has written to all four supermarkets demanding an explanation, and asking them to call on the government to ban Russian fossil fuels from entering the UK. 

Greenpeace UK oil and gas campaigner, Elena Polisano, said: "Supermarkets were quick to remove Russian vodka from shelves and rename their chicken Kievs as chicken Kyivs. 

"Customers will be outraged if supermarkets are asking them to donate to Ukraine at the till, but passing their money to Putin at the pump. 

"If Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons truly want to stand by Ukraine, they should make sure they're not filling their pumps with Putin's diesel that is directly funding his bloody war. At the very least, they should demand that the government implement an immediate ban on imports of Russian fossil fuels."

These revelations come as new polling from YouGov, commissioned by Greenpeace UK, shows how 73% of people want the UK government to bring in an immediate ban on imports of Russian oil and gas.

The survey shows that the vast majority (74%) of the British public polled are unaware that fuel on sale at supermarket petrol stations may contain Russian diesel and most (71%) want supermarkets to immediately end the sale of Russian diesel. 

This latest shipment of diesel was imported into the Navigator Terminal on Tuesday (May 17), a day later than planned, following a Greenpeace protest blocking the tanker's intended berth.

12 Greenpeace volunteers reached the Andromeda tanker's intended berth at Navigator Terminals by boat late on Sunday and climbed onto it. Activists succeeded in delaying the shipment for 37 hours but police arrests meant that the cargo was eventually offloaded on the second attempt. 

Greenpeace has contacted each of the four supermarkets for comment. The British Retail Consortium confirmed that Russian diesel had not yet been phased out. 

Andrew Opie, Director for Food at the BRC, said: "Our members are fully committed to phasing out Russian oil in line with the Government's decision and are working to do so as quickly as possible while ensuring good supply for customers."

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "We stand together with the people of Ukraine and have taken a range of steps to show our support – from helping to fund the humanitarian effort on the ground, to removing products from our stores which are 100 per cent sourced from Russia.

"Today we have confirmed that we are already working to reduce the amount of diesel we sell which comes from Russia and we will stop selling diesel from Russia in our petrol filling stations in line with the UK's action against Russian oil imports, by the end of the year. 

"This is a complex process which we are committed to working together with the rest of the UK fuel industry and Government to achieve, as part of the UK's action against Russian oil imports."