Non-compliant Tank Bund Leads To £10,000 Fine

On behalf of clients, Blake Group conducts site visits, inspects oil storage facilities, advises on legislation and best practice, but much more education and advice is needed to be passed on to industry as firms in the UK are still failing to comply with Oil Storage Regulations due to a lack of understanding of the law.

A prime example of non-compliance is the recent court case where a demolition company had to pay more than £10,000 for polluting a Northamptonshire brook with oil. Oil was first spotted floating on the surface of the brook by a passerby and subsequently reported to the Environment Agency.

When prosecuting, the Environment Agency stated that pollution risk was foreseeable as oil was being stored in a tank, which had no secondary containment, was not bunded or secure. In defence, the firm said it believed the spillage had been caused by intruders and that there had been a history of vandalism and break-ins at the site, which had been derelict for some time.

Ronnie Blake, Managing Director of Blake Group commented, “Following changes the Pollution Prevention Guidelines PPG2, there has never been such a high demand for our consultancy services. Our Environmental Tank Division site inspection team specialise in advising clients bulk fuel storage facilities, and we are still finding the vast majority of bunds non-compliant with the law.”

The only guarantee that a tank complies with Control of Pollution Regulations in England and Water Environment Regulations in Scotland is to opt for the certified  OFS T200 integrally bunded steel tank  as recommended by the Environment Agency and SEPA in PPG2.

(News from www.web4water.com)