to think a 'jerry can' is....

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

.... the small plastic petrol container that I keep a few litres in for the lawnmower? And that IANBU to think it's safe to keep one of those in the shed?

I lived in Warsaw in the 1980s, when petrol was rationed, and everyone used to keep large (20-30 litres) cans of petrol in their flats. Just one spark, and some of those tower blocks would have gone up with an almighty bang!

If the shed is away from dwellings & the can is out of harm's way, can't see a problem. I can, however, see that storing petrol in a garage attached to a house could be, particularly if the house is very close/attached to another house/houses. Francis Maude 'made a mistake' and has apologised (!)

My plastic petrol container is 5 litres, not 20+ I've always called it a 'jerry-can'.

I always thought that a 'jerry can' was a large metal container that held 20+ litres.
Regards storing it, what WMDinthekitchen said.

Aren't jerry cans the oblong metal things that you see strapped to the back of jeeps?
(While I was driving a car with a dodgy petrol guage and going on a long journey, I'd have one of the small plastic ones in the boot, but it's not really a jerry can.)

as far as i was aware it was one of those massive metal containers,they used them in the war didn't they, i wouldn't store one in my garage no, but one of those little plastic ones might be alright although 5litres is not a lot of petrol.

Jerry cans are the large metal ones. It is unsafe to keep a plastic one stored at your home.

We always have one topped up in the shed. We have a petrol lawnmower for two rather large gardens, what else are we meant to do!

(5l plastic one)

A jerry can is 20L.

I haven't been paying any attention to this as I don't have a car, but am I understanding it right? They've agreed to strike but they haven't said when?

So, really, topping up your tank today is useless as they might not strike for another two weeks!

What a storm in a tea cup.

Yes, 20L. There's an article on the BBC news website today, saying it was a mistake to have made that comment www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17545258

The Cabinet minister advised people to store petrol in a jerry can. Which is 20L and made of metal. Which is more than it is legally permissable to keep at home.
So he advised citizens to do something illegal.
A minion has said that he got muddled and thought he was talking about the little 5L plastic containers.
So that's OK then, good job we have people of clarity and thought in charge.
Plonker.

Sorry, O/T but am I the only one who quietly says jerry in my head in a Margot Leadbetter voice? Just me?

I'll get my coat...

They are all idiots.
"Let's not panic, let's not queue, but be prepared." from the bbc article. Well that is all fine and good, but what if you have been sensible and waited until you actually need fuel. then you find that there are long queues and some stations closed. Are you supposed to go home without filling up and wait until the queues go down? You could end up doing that several times and use up what little petrol you have left seeing if there are queues yet.
plonker is absolutely right.
If they hadnt said anything then people would naturally make up their own minds in their own time about when it is right to prepare, rather than provoking a mass exodus to the petrol station. God help us if there is ever a real crisis.

Fire brigade spokesman on Breakfast has said maximum size for home use for an approved plastic jerry can is 10L, an for a metal one 20L.

They should only be stored in sheds or garages (which do not have eg bedrooms over them).

The pressures of live TV must have got to the spokesman, or I must have misheard. The proper FBU statement is:

Francis Maude?s advice to motorists to store jerry cans of petrol in their garages is wrong and must be withdrawn the Fire Brigades Union has said. The union warns it will massively increase fire and explosion risk and the public should be discouraged from doing so.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary said:
?This is not sensible advice and people should be discouraged from doing so. The general public does not properly understand the fire and explosion risk of storing fuel even if it was done sensibly.
?Those without garages may be tempted to store fuel in the home. In the event of a fire in the house or a neighbouring property it would be disastrous.
?It is already against the law to store more than 10 litres of petrol in two proper 5 litre plastic containers in the home. As that amounts to little more than a third of a tank in most cars the advice is of little practical help.
?There is a real danger the public will start storing fuel in inappropriate ways if the Government is encouraging panic buying and storage. This advice is wrong and must be withdrawn.?

I still think 'jerry can' is a generic term for a petrol container. So a 10 litre one is OK....

I thought this was going to be a "is calling it a 'jerry' can racist" type thread!! (sorry, watched too many b&w WWII films recently...)

He probably doesn't realise we don't all have big manions where you can store a 20L can of petrol very very far from your house. It's just plain out of touch.

Jerry cans are large, strong, metal containers that take 20 litres.They have a top carry handle and a sturdy cap. Often seen strapped on the back of military vehicles.
'Jerry Can' is NOT a generic term for a vessel that can contain fuel.
BUT, why the hell are so many people panicking and filling their tanks now.

I'm with you BadBadKitten

We went to get fuel last night...because we needed fuel (had 19 miles left!). There was none at Asda. The next 2 stations that we went past had very large queues trailing down the road. So we carried on home and then remembered where there was another station not too far away and managed to get some without queueing too much

We've got a tiny 3L bright red plastic petrol canister which holds the lawnmower petrol. It's not a jerry can. We've also got a huge khaki-green metal ex-Army petrol canister somewhere in the depths of the shed. Now that's a jerry can.

The advice 'don't panic, don't queue, be prepared' is pretty ridiculous. If you've run out of petrol and there are queues everywhere, you can't be prepared if you don't queue, can you?

I remember in the last strike there was a couple of members of the same family who had their garages full of of drums full of petrol, some without lids on!

A petrol can that you use to keep a gallon or so in for your lawnmower or emergencies is fine, but 10 oil drums full is a different matter :o

Bella you are not alone

bogey I think I would have made a discreet call to the local FB about that!