Mower leaking gas

Just filled my mower with gas and its going right through, pouring out the whole that the red arrow is pointing to. Any ideas how to fix this? I just got this from my neighbor. He said there's a slight gas leak, but I didn't think it would be this bad!

Any help would be much appreciated!

p.s. I just hosed off the area to dilute the gas. The liquid pictured isn't raw gas sitting in the hot sun

 

It's a stuck/leaking float valve in the carburetor. Sometimes you get that in the first start of the season. If you tap on the carb lightly with the handle of a hammer, it may stop. Then, change the oil and get the engine started and it may be OK for the rest of the year.

If you can't get it to stop with the tapping, the float bowl will have to be taken off and the float valve cleaned or replaced or the float itself replaced.

Should it stop with the tapping, the engine will still be flooded, will likely have gas in the oil, and be difficult to start. For that, make sure the gas leak is stopped, change the oil, then take out the plug and spin the engine over about ten times with full throttle, no choke. Then put the plug back in and no choke, half throttle spin it over until it starts. Let it run for some time to get it cleaned out of fuel. Add a little Sea Foam to the gas and you should be OK.

If it needs dismantled to fix the leak, I would plan on replacing the float and the valve, if they haven't been and be done with it. They aren't that expensive.