Ellesmere Port’s oil refinery is to open a flagship filling station on its doorstep.

Essar has snapped up the former Elton Green filling station on the A5117 and plans to launch a company owned site there in 2018.

The fuel firm says it is a major supplier of transport fuels in the north west with customers including most of the leading retail brands operated by the international oil companies and hypermarkets together with the region’s trains and buses.

It opened the first UK Essar branded filling station in November 2015 and is expected to have 50 by Christmas. The ‘ambitious target’ is to see 400 Essar branded sites spread across the UK within five years.

Home to Europe’s largest catalytic cracker, Essar points out Stanlow has been producing a significant proportion of the country’s transport fuels for over half a century.

The refinery currently produces 16% of all transport fuels used in the UK equating to 4.4bn litres of diesel, 3bn litres of petrol and 2bn litres of jet fuel a year.

All products are said to meet the strictest quality controls and adhere to all British Standard and European specifications and comply fully with vehicle manufacturer warranties.

Elton Green Service Station itself dates back to 1898.

At the opening of its first UK filling station Essar said: “This is a significant step forward and part of our plans to add value to our UK business.

“Stanlow has a real legacy in terms of refining expertise and a long record of reliable supply to customers and we are now offering this directly on the forecourt in association with our dealers.

“We have worked hard to deliver a distinctive brand, a competitive commercial offering and the best possible customer support.”

Essar has also successfully entered the market for the direct supply of aviation fuel from Stanlow signing agreements with some of the world’s leading international airlines.

The company recently confirmed plans to invest a further $250m in capital expenditure and maintenance at the refinery to increase throughput and improve yields and revenues.

Including the purchase of the refinery from Shell the new investment will see Essar backing Stanlow to the tune of more than $1bn since 2012.