PUTTING the wrong fuel in his car was the best mistake Craig Biggington ever made.

For mixing up petrol and diesel on a garage forecourt two-and-a-half years ago provided the spark for a business venture which is fast-expanding across the country.

Craig caused £1,800 of damage to his car engine when he tried to run it after mistakenly putting petrol in the tank instead of diesel.

And knowing that many drivers make the same error – with equally disastrous results – he decided to set up a new service to put things right at a reasonable price.

Now Fuel Doctor Ltd has 10 franchisees covering huge chunks of the country to provide a 24-hour mobile emergency fuel drain service for motorists and van drivers.

Fuel Doctor is now billed as the biggest business of its type after the AA – providing its services for roadside recovery firms, fleet managers and insurance companies.

“The RAC once advertised itself as the fourth emergency service,” says Craig. “They got into trouble with people like the RNLI for saying that.

“I’m marketing Fuel Doctor as the UK’s fuel emergency service. I’m quite proud that I came up with that tag line!”

The concept is quite simple. Leaving the wrong kind of fuel “lying on the engine” can cause major damage to components. Getting the fuel drained quickly minimises the damage and costs lots less money to put right.

Since expanding the business through a network of franchisees, Craig has been inundated with hundreds of enquiries from people interested in taking up the offer.

His target is to expand the number of franchises from 10 currently to 45 – at the rate of about one a month.

Craig and his five-strong team provide the training and equipment needed – with emphasis on the importance of customer service.

“The first thing we tell our franchisees to do when they roll onto the forecourt or park up by the roadside is to introduce themselves, shake hands and smile,” he says.

“Customer reassurance is key. That’s why we also instruct franchisees to ring the customer when they are on their way to give them an estimated time of arrival.

“It can be disconcerting standing around waiting for the emergency van to turn up, so it makes sense to provide that reassurance.”

Craig said the business had proved pretty recession-proof, explaining: “Mis-fuelling happens whether the economy is good or bad.

“Sometimes it’s due to people forgetting they are in the company car or van rather than their own vehicle – or simply because petrol pump are getting more confusing with more options and therefore more chances of a mix-up.”

Fuel Doctor franchises now cover Leeds and Bradford, South Yorkshire, Humberside, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and West Midlands, Berkshire and Somerset.

The next few months will see more franchises covering Edinburgh, Greater London and Essex.

But Craig is keen not to move too quickly. “I don’t want it to become a production line,” he says. “We provide one-to-one training and support and take the franchisee through everything they need to know – including how to deal with customers.”

Fuel Doctor has a contract with insurance giant AXA, which offers cover for mis-fuelling on some of is policies.

It also works with Huddersfield-based fleet management group FMG Support.

Running Fuel Doctor is far removed from Craig’s ambitions when he was a pupil at Honley High School. He went on to take his A-levels with the idea of being an archaeologist.

“It was always something that fascinated me,” says Craig. “I still like watching Time Team!

“But I actually went to work for Eddisons Commercial on the auction side of the business.

“It was the late 1980s when businesses were going bust. It gave me an insight into business and how businesses could go wrong.”

Craig later joined EG Glass at Crosland Hill and says he was all set to become a director when the business was sold.

“I went into the car trade for a while – then I made the best mistake of my life by putting the wrong fuel in my car!

“They say you learn from your mistakes, but it’s a damn sight easier to learn from someone else’s!”

Craig says luck and good judgement both played a part in the early success of Fuel Doctor.

“It was the right product at the right time,” he says. “We knew it worked and we could prove it worked.

“We developed a system and we developed the equipment.

“Now we have 10 very happy franchisees and a business model that generates work for them.

“People can see the potential of it. It is their business, but they know we will support them. It gives franchisees a sense of security.

“We had a photo-shoot recently for our new brochure and got seven of the franchisees and their vans together. They were all in good spirits, joking together and I just couldn’t stop smiling! I couldn’t help thinking: ‘This is good fun!’ It is great working with a bunch of guy who are enjoying themselves.”

Heading a business that offers a one-hour service round the clock leaves little time for relaxation – but Craig has son Jack to thank for getting him into golf.

“Jack had a set of plastic clubs and we’d go on the driving range with my father,” he says.

“I’ve been playing now for two years and I play my dad once a week. We said we’d play different courses until we found one we liked enough to join!”

Craig is also a motorbike enthusiast. “I started in motor cross and I’ve also had road bikes.

“I would love to be at this year’s Isle of Man TT races. I’ve been there before and it’s pretty scary just driving around the route at normal pace.

“It’s also the only place where I’ve been stuck in a traffic jam made up entirely of bikes!”