14 minute read
Business Manager’s Report
UK, Lincolnshire. Polluter fined £12,000 for red diesel spill
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.
Advertisement
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
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
garages remote location.
The old Avery Hardoll pumps are limited to counting a maximum of just 20 gallons at a time. After that the gallon counter dial goes back to zero. While the pumps run off electric motors - just like modernday pumps - the face resembles a clock with hands telling the motorist how much fuel is being pumped.
Mr White, who lives with 86-yearold mother May in the bungalow opposite the site, is now searching for spare parts so he can keep the pumps going as business has been declining. "We used to get the pumps filled once every few months, now it is getting less and less." "We have about 10 customers a week. Some are just passing by but others are regulars because they like using the pumps. For some people petrol stations are so few and far between they are glad to see us. I will keep going as long as I can. We have no intention of stopping at the moment even though we don’t make much money on petrol sales."
UK, West Yorkshire. Car ends up on top of Sainsbury’s petrol pump
A driver had a lucky escape after his car bizarrely crashed into a petrol pump and ended up on top of it! The incident happened around 11.30pm in the evening at Sainsbury‘s Shore Head petrol station. Fire crews from Huddersfield were called to the scene. The driver escaped unharmed. A fire-fighter said: “It was bizarre how it happened and the driver was lucky. The pumps must have automatic shut-offs to prevent explosions.”
UK, Dorset, Poole. Chevron fined for oil leak
Energy company Chevron has been ordered to pay more than £11,500 in fines and costs for allowing diesel oil to escape from its terminal in Poole, Dorset, and putting an important nature reserve at risk of pollution.
On 30 October 2006, the Environment Agency was alerted to a fuel spill at the site. An agency officer saw liquid escaping from a diesel storage tank. The fuel was flowing down a crack in a concrete floor, surrounding the tank that formed part of a ‘bund‘, which should have contained any spills. Further checks with Chevron revealed that approximately 29,000 litres of diesel had been lost from the tank and escaped to the ground beneath the bund floor.
Surface water drains close to the terminal and the nearby Poole Harbour were checked for pollution and were found to be clear. However, on 1 November 2006, Wessex Water reported that fuel was contaminating Poole sewage treatment works and a nearby sewage pumping station. An investigation showed that most of the spilled diesel from the terminal had entered a foul sewer, resulting in a reduction in the quality of effluent at the sewage works, causing it to breach its discharge consent for 12 hours.
The leak was traced to a small hole in the metal base of the storage tank. The bund that should have contained the spillage was cracked and the joint between the tank and bund base had not been sealed properly. All tanks at the Poole terminal were checked once a year.
Agency officers discovered that Chevron had been advised on a number of occasions to replace the sealant between the leaking tank and the bund base, but the company had failed to carry out the work. When inspected, there was also no sign of anti-cracking reinforcement or waterstop barriers at construction joints on the bund floor.
This was a major fuel spill that could have resulted in the serious pollution of Poole Harbour, an internationally important wildlife site,' said Julian Wardlaw for the Environment Agency. 'The majority of the diesel entered Wessex Water‘s foul sewer network where it caused serious operational problems, but the water company prevented major pollution of the harbour by intercepting and containing the spilled fuel. Had there been heavy rainfall at the time, diesel would have escaped from the sewer network into Poole Harbour. “This incident could have
been avoided if Chevron had acted on a consultant‘s advice and carried out repairs and improvements to the tank and the surrounding concrete bund,” he added. Appearing before a district judge at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court on 26 October, Chevron was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £5,511 in costs after pleading guilty to causing poisonous, noxious or polluting matter to enter controlled waters.
Transport Minister urged to prioritise support to safeguard remaining stations. The number of rural petrol stations throughout Scotland has fallen sharply over the last decade. Official figures released showed forecourts and associated shops in Aberdeenshire dropped from 55 in 1999 to 30 last year. In Angus they fell from 15 to five over the same period. There were 40 petrol stations in Perth and Kinross in 1999; now there are 20. The Tory MSP Nanette Milne said the situation was “deeply worrying” given limited public transport links and shopping facilities in rural and remote communities. She added that the decline of “lifeline services” has also had an impact on jobs. Mrs Milne is urging Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson to prioritise support for petrol stations to help safeguard their future. The figures, the latest available, showed the number of petrol stations in Scotland has dropped from 880 in 1999 to 510 last year – a 42% decrease. In Aberdeen there were 40 forecourts in 1999; there are now 20. The number of petrol stations in the Highlands has dropped from 70 in 1999 to 60 last year – a rate that has remained static since 2005. The Scottish Government figures show there were 25 petrol stations in Dundee in 1999 but that figure dropped to five last year. In Moray they dropped from 25 10 years ago to 20 this year. There were 10 petrol stations in Orkney in 1999 but there are now only five. There
16 APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
have been no closures in Shetland where five stations have operated since 1999. In 2007 there were 15 petrol stations in the Western Isles but the number dropped to 10 last year.
Petrol Retailers Association chairman Brian Madderson said changes in market conditions mean there are now fewer petrol stations across the whole of the UK than in 1912. “The decline in the number of rural petrol stations in Scotland is the result of a number of trends that have affected the forecourt sector across the UK,” he said.
“Strong supermarket fuel outlet growth since the 1990s and a constant upwards movement in fuel duty have squeezed profit margins and made motor fuel retailing a very challenging business area. At the same time, forecourt retailers have faced high business rates in recent years and this has added further pressure,” Madderson added.
A Scottish Government spokesman said it recognised that petrol stations keep “rural communities moving” and is doing all it can to support them through the rural petrol stations grant scheme, which has the support of the association. “The scheme, which is administered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise, enables petrol stations to upgrade their fuel supply equipment, and become more economically viable and less vulnerable to closure,” he added.
UK, Somerset, Warminster. Firm fined for burying oil-filled tanker
A Warminster demolition company was ordered to pay £8,235 in fines and costs after it buried an oil-filled road tanker in the ground. The case was brought before magistrates in Yeovil by the Environment Agency. On February 15, 2008 the agency was alerted by a member of the public who claimed the demolition contractors, LA Moore, were excavating a tanker at its premises near Wells, Somerset. The company has used the old railway siding at Haybridge for a number of years to store vehicles and heavy plant equipment. There is also a workshop at the site. It was alleged LA Moore had acquired a tanker in the mid-1990‘s and filled it with fuel oil to heat its vehicle workshop. The tanker that could hold approximately 3,000 litres of oil, was parked at the company‘s main depot at Haybridge.
At some point the company decided to bury it in the ground. Then, in 2008 the tanker was excavated as L A Moore prepared to clear the site for a future development. Magistrates heard the site lies within a groundwater protection zone.
The River Axe flows through the premises and there are a number of boreholes nearby, one of which supplies water to a local paper mill. There is also a public road and a number of houses nearby. On February 16, 2008, officers from the Environment Agency‘s Environmental Crime Team arrived at the L A Moore site armed with a warrant. They were shown to a yard where the tanker had been buried. A small section of the top of the tanker was showing above ground. The tanker was found to contain a thick viscous black‘ oil. When they returned two days later Agency officers found two men heating up the oil so it could be pumped out of the tanker and taken to a refinery for recycling. They were advised to stop because of the risk of pollution to surrounding surface and groundwater.
During excavation groundwater was seen running freely into the exposed area around the tanker. A large dent and scratches were visible in the side of the tanker. During discussions with LA Moore Ltd it became apparent the company didn‘t recognise the seriousness of its actions and risk of pollution from the tanker. As a result the agency served the company with an anti pollution works notice clearly stating how the removal operation should be conducted to minimise any risk of pollution of surface and groundwater.
When the tanker was finally pulled out of the ground it was found to have sustained major damage to its front nearside. A large sack had been used to plug‘ a hole in the main tank. “The burial of a fuel-filled tanker was highly irresponsible, particularly given the location of this company within a groundwater protection zone where oil spillages can have a very serious impact on the environment and surrounding water supplies,” said Malcolm Newton for the Environment Agency. LA Moore of Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire was fined £3,000 by Yeovil magistrates and ordered to pay £5,235 costs after pleading guilty to causing poisonous, noxious or polluting matter, namely heating oil, to enter controlled waters, namely groundwater, at the Old Railway Yard, Haybridge near Wells, an offence under Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
UK, Cardiff service station chosen for Texaco’s new image
A service station in Cardiff has become one of the first locations around the world to incorporate Chevron's new Texaco service station image. The Texaco 2020 image is part of the group's Shining Star programme, which plans to build on Texaco's long heritage and reputation in Europe.
Chevron has announced that Cardiff has been chosen as one of the first locations worldwide for the launch of its new Texaco service station image. The new design has a more modern, fresher look, with improved lighting and a colour change in canopy lettering from red to white. In total, more than 25 sites in and around Cardiff will benefit from the new brand image.
