A man was ordered to pay £12,000 after thieves damaged a tanker on his land, causing oil to seep into ditches and damage wildlife. Fluid from E and S Forklift Sales and Hire seeped into drains at Donnington, Lincolnshire, in February, harming a swan and causing the death of invertebrates living in the water. Business owner Eric Elam was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay Environment Agency costs of £4,003 by Spalding Magistrates' Court on 30th September 2009 after admitting polluting a tributary of Hammond Beck Drain. Mr Elam told investigating officers that an oil tank had been vandalised on the site on February 11 and a pipe had been ripped off. He thought his staff had cleaned up all the oil without realising there was a surface water drain underneath the area where the tank had stood – and so he did not notify the agency of the spill. This incident and the resultant fine is a timely reminder of the risks associated with decanting Red Diesel from Jerry‘ cans on to boats.
UK, South Devon. Diesel spill at supermarket petrol station The Environmental Agency has launched an investigation after the sprinkler system at a Newton Abbot superstore contributed to a diesel spill. Up to 100 litres of water and 50 litres of diesel flowed into a River Teign watercourse after the sprinkler system at the Sainsbury's petrol station store broke down. The agency does not believe the incident has caused any significant environmental damage. It is believed a large water tank at the back of the store for a sprinkler system had split and water had emptied from the tank at pressure. Two drums of diesel were next to the tank to power the pump for the sprinkler system. One of these was knocked over and about 50 litres of diesel flowed out of the building, across the delivery yard and into the Aller Brook.
A Sainsbury's spokesman said: "Unfortunately a fault with the sprinkler system at our Newton Abbot store led to a small amount of diesel entering the nearby river. We are taking steps to repair the sprinkler system to help prevent this happening again." Environment Agency spokesman Paul Gainey said: "In addition to the water, diesel from the generator, which runs the system, also escaped. It is thought about 50 litres of diesel flowed into the water which went into a nearby watercourse. The Environment Agency attended to investigate the matter and its environmental impact. The officer thought that, because of the high volume of water mixed with the diesel, it was sufficiently diluted enough not to cause damage to the environment. We do not believe there has been any environmental impact."
UK, Halifax. Cars fill up then conk out! petrol was ‘half water’ A fuel company has launched an investigation after drivers told how their cars broke down after filling up at a Halifax petrol station. Pumps for unleaded fuel at Undercliffe Service Station on busy Godley Lane were sealed off after motorists complained. One driver said when the car fuel lines were examined the petrol "looked like muddy water with frog-spawn in it." Mark Holmes, 49, of Skircoat Green, Halifax, was one of several drivers who contacted the Courier to report the same problem. Mr Holmes put £50 of fuel into his wife's Renault Scenic at the BP station. After a few days it wouldn't start and an RAC engineer suspected contaminated fuel. The car was towed to Balmoral Garage in Halifax where the tank was drained. Mr Holmes said: "All my lines were clogged up – it looked like muddy water with frogspawn." He says the problems have cost him £240 and he will be seeking compensation. Bank worker Christopher Conroy, of Upper Lane, Northowram, broke down after putting £35 of unleaded petrol into his Corsa at the same station. When he took it to a garage, he said the fuel was found to contain 50 per cent water. His tank was
drained at Dews Garage, which confirmed the petrol was 50 per cent water. He said: "It was dark brown and a bit gooey with the fuel on top." Repairs cost him £115 and he fears his car may have lasting damage. Another man, who did not wish to be named, said he broke down just half a mile from the station after filling up. He said: "The road quickly filled up with three other people who'd broken down. All had just filled up at the same station." He added: "I'd suspect that as this is a very busy station there will be lots of people who've had problems." Another customer, Judith Potter, said she started experiencing problems a day after filling up at the station on November 10. Her fuel pump had to be replaced. The manager at the service station declined to comment. A spokesman for BP said: "We are working closely with the petrol station and assisting in their investigations. BP continually tests fuel it delivers and so far is confident the fuel met required specifications."
UK, ‘Oldest working petrol pumps in country’ found
NEWS
UK, Lincolnshire. Polluter fined £12,000 for red diesel spill
A set of rusty petrol pumps owned by a 65-year-old mechanic are thought to be the oldest working set in the country. Battling against the rise of modern supermarket stations buying and selling fuel for much less than he can, owner Bernard White has done everything in his power to keep the old relics working. The same pumps have stood on the forecourt of Laurel garage in Ramsbury, WIltshire, since the early 1950s. The nozzles have been specially adapted to fit modern cars while seals around the hose are replaced regularly to prevent leaks. And they survived the imperial measure clamp down when the European Union tried to enforce metric-only labelling on all sellable goods. "Strangers do not realise they are still operational. The site looks a bit long in the tooth so they are surprised to discover we are still selling petrol," said Mr White, 65. Fuel at this garage will cost £5.53 per gallon - slightly more expensive than normal because of the
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