Contents Gauges

TAUNTON R.D.C. On the 28th July, 1971, the Council prosecuted the driver of a petrol tanker delivering petrol spirit to a petrol filling station under contract to one of the main petroleum companies for infringement of Section 3 of the Petroleum Spirit (Conveyance by Road) Regulations 1957.

The driver pleaded guilty and was fined £10 with £5 towards the Local Authority's prosecution costs.

The incident occurred on the 13th April, 1971 when the tanker driver connected his hose to the tanker but did not connect it to the filling pipe of the storage tank. At the same time as connecting the hose to the tanker he turned on the faucet valve underneath the tanker. He then climbed on to the top of the tanker to read his dip sticks and switched on the foot valve thus causing an immediate discharge of petrol on to the forecourt into the gutter of an extremely busy trunk road and the Fire Brigade was immediately called. The Fire Brigade washed the petrol into a nearby roadside gulley which later had to be checked for vapour and was fortunately found to be free.

LIVERPOOL C.B. On Saturday, 17th April, 1971, the Fire Brigade attended an incident at the "Everton Road Service Station" IAverpool 6, involving the vehicle servicing bay. It appeared that an employee was engaged in cleaning away about 2 gallons of spilled petroleum spirit from the floor of the bay when the became ignited, resulting in the entire bay becommg mvolved in fire. The employee was removed to hospital suffering from severe burns to his face, hands and legs, and was detained for treatment.

The cause of the fire was recorded as "Vapours from spilled petroleum spirit being ignited by an electric fire in an adjacent office".

Subsequent enquiries by a Petroleum Officer revealed that the occupier had acquired the tenancy ,within the previous two months and had omitted to carry out the necessary transfer of licence procedure, consequently a petroleum Spirit Licence was not in force for the premises.

Legal proceedings were instituted under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, Section 1(2) and the Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles &C) Regulations 1929, (Regulation No. 10).

The summonses were heard by the Stipendiary Magistrate on Wednesday, 21st July, 1971, and pleas of guilty were entered on each count. The occupier was fined a sum of £2 and £50,jn connection with each charge respectively. STAL YBRlDGE On 4th November 1970, a youth aged 16 years was using a Paint Stripper from a one-gallon can for cleaning paint from a sideboard at a French Polishers' premises in Stalybridge, when he caught the tin with his elbow and knocked it off the bench on to the floor. The contents spread over the floor and the vapour was ignited by the flames from a freshly lit coke stove, the draught door of which had been left open. The top floor of the two-storied building was gutted.

Seven gallons of Paint Stripper No. 2 (a Petroleum Mixture) was discovered on the premises but was not involved in the fire. Legal proceedings were taken against the owner of the premises for storing petroleum mixtures without a licence and he was fined £3 and £10 Test Fee.

For ,the benefit of members, the Council publishes the following list of Contents Gauges. It is stressed that the list does not contain recommended equipment but is solely for information :-

Continuous and non-continuous gauges KD.G. Instruments Ltd., Manor Royal, Crawley, Sussex.

Continuous reading R. & G. contents gauges by Bayham Ltd.,

' "Tankometer" contents gauges by British Syphon Co. Ltd.,

"Metrolmeters" by Metrol Ltd.,

Continuous and non-continuous "Pneumercator" contents gauges by Kelvin Hughes Divn. of S. Smith & Sons (England) Ltd.,

Continuous reading Eurogauge Co. Ltd.

Continuous and non-continuous reading contents gauges Normand Instruments Ltd.,

Dunellen Ltd.,

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