Easygas has pledged to repay consumers returning a reusable cylinder the €25 deposit, even if they could not produce a receipt.

The company referred to recent statements by Liquigas that the deposit paid by a consumer when taking possession of a new cylinder was ‘for the use and proper care and handling of the cylinder '.

Easygas said it did not agree with this position and considered it to be unfair and dishonest.

Clients, it said, were required to pay a deposit on a cylinder that was equivalent to, or rather in excess of, its purchase price.

So if a cylinder was lost, the company owning the cylinder would not suffer financial prejudice, as it would have collected the cost of the cylinder from the very start.

Consumers were therefore free to retain the cylinders or to transfer their possession to any third party willing to pay an adequate price for it.

“Easygas declares that since it too takes a deposit on each of its cylinders, that is equivalent to its cost, its clients can transfer, for a price, any Easygas cylinder as they wish.

“Easygas pledges to repay the 25 euro deposit to anyone of its consumers that wishes to return a reusable cylinder, even if said consumer cannot present a receipt,” the company said.