REFRIGERANT supplier A-Gas is to offer a finders fee to the member of the public who found a refrigerant gas cylinder reportedly dumped in a residential street last week. The story of how Mitcham, Surrey, resident Neil Malcolm discovered the cylinder appeared in the online edition of the Wimbledon Guardian on Monday. The incident is said to have sparked an investigation by Merton Council's environmental health department.
By using its advanced cylinder tracking system, A-Gas has traced the cylinder back to the distributor who is collecting the cylinder. The cylinder was marked as containing R404A but this will not be confirmed until the contents can be analysed.

How the cylinder came to be in the residential road is uncertain. A-Gas said it is rare for cylinders to appear outside of the controlled chain of distribution of supplier, wholesaler and approved contractor, but suggested it can occur as a result of theft from contractor vehicles or premises, or left behind in premises that have closed or when contractors have ceased trading.

A-Gas has released a statement saying that if any member of the public comes across an A-Gas cylinder, they should phone A-Gas on the freephone number 0800 7311 444 stating where the cylinder is and the a description of what they have found. They also say it would be very useful if a note of the bar code number on the top of the cylinder near the valve is also recorded.