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Can I Store LPG Bottles Under the Counter in My Catering Trailer?

by Emmilene Taylor
(Southend on Sea, Essex, UK)

Dusky pink converted horse trailer creperie serving customers at a busy UK seaside market

Dusky pink converted horse trailer creperie serving customers at a busy UK seaside market

Hi,
I have read mixed messages in regards to storing LPG bottles. I have a converted horse trailer which I am currently turning into a mobile creperie and need to use LPG gas for my 2 crepe machines. I have enough space under the work counter to place a couple of bottles securely but wondering if this is allowed or if there's exceptions for small catering spaces, as I am limited to space and I don't see any other options?
I would really appreciate your help and advice.
Kindest regards,
Emmilene.

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Oct 29, 2026
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by: MobCater

Emmilene, I can see why you have had mixed messages, because you will find conversions online with gas bottles tucked into any gap the builder could find. The honest answer is no, the space under your work counter is not the place for LPG cylinders, however tight the trailer is.

The reason is simple. LPG is heavier than air. If a cylinder valve or a connection starts to leak inside the trailer, the gas does not drift away. It sinks and pools along the floor, right where you are standing and right beside the burners on your crepe machines. In a horse trailer conversion there is not much air to dilute it, so it would not take long to build up to a level a single spark could ignite. That is why the UKLPG Code of Practice 24, which covers mobile catering, says cylinders should be kept out of the cooking and serving area.

That leaves you two good options. The first, and the one I see most on trailers, is a lockable cylinder box or cage mounted on the A frame at the front. It keeps the gas well away from you and the weight sits sensibly ahead of the axle. The second is a compartment built into the trailer body that is sealed completely from the inside, opens only from the outside and has vents at floor level going straight out, so any leak drains away outside rather than into the trailer. Either way, the bottles stand upright and are strapped so they cannot tip over.

The trailer itself still needs its own fixed ventilation, high and low, so your crepe machines get enough air to burn cleanly. Those vents must never be blocked, even on a cold day.

For two crepe machines, most traders run a pair of 13kg or 19kg propane cylinders on an automatic changeover valve, so you never run out halfway through a queue. Before you build anything, get a Gas Safe registered engineer who covers mobile catering to look at the trailer with you and agree where the bottles go. They will be the one fitting the pipework and regulator and signing off your gas safety certificate, and event organisers and your EHO will want to see that certificate, so build it to their plan from the start rather than moving things later.

One habit worth starting now is turning the cylinders off at the valve every time you tow. It takes ten seconds.

Keep going

David

Disclaimer: Gas installation and maintenance must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Never attempt gas work yourself. Check gassaferegister.co.uk for qualified engineers in your area.

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