A Welsh police team dubbed the "Frying Squad" has taken the fight to the streets to sniff out motorists who fuel their vehicles with cooking oil from fish and chip shops to avoid paying high government fuel taxes.

Three people have been nabbed in the past week and fined for using waste oil from restaurants selling Britain's favorite deep-fried dish, the London Times newspaper reported.

"I have halved my motoring costs since I started running my Subaru on cooking oil," said one busted motorist. "The car runs just as well and even smells a lot better than diesel."

The drivers were fined 500 pounds ($780) and warned that persistent offenders may face up to seven years in prison.