Rising fuel prices in France have prompted some residents to start mixing gasoline with ethanol, in an apparent effort to save money, Le Monde reports.
The newspaper cited a saleswoman named Sophie from a filling station in the French town of Blois as saying that this concoction is being used by young motorists.
She added that one individual explained that using ethanol in an engine results in minor breakdowns, which only damage small parts that are "not too expensive to change", especially when it comes to weather-beaten vehicles.
The saleswoman also said that "many don't care" about her warning that their car insurance won't cover the costs if experts discover the mixing of gasoline with ethanol.
The remarks come as growing global oil and gas prices have pushed the cost of petrol and diesel in France to an all-time high. In many areas, the cost of gasoline at filling stations has already hit the €2 ($2.20) per litre ceiling.
Last month, Ecological Transition Minister Barbara Pompili pledged to take further action to tackle record fuel prices.
"We will extend the cap on gas tariffs until the end of the year", Pompili told reporters, adding that the government plans to "protect all those who will be affected by this rise in prices, whether they be motorists or business owners". According to her, the new measures are part of President Emmanuel Macron's "social and economic resilience plan".
Referring to Russia's ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, she argued it "will not be painless" and that "we will see consequences in our country".
This came as global oil and gas prices increased drastically in the wake of the US and its allies' "severe" sanctions against Russia, who started a special operation in Ukraine on 24 February to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the decision by Washington and its allies to implement anti-Russia sanctions was "akin to a declaration of war", while the Russian Foreign Ministry vowed Moscow will retaliate by swiftly developing "targeted retaliatory trade and financial restrictions" against the West.
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