News Windmill Hill Industrial Estate, Swindon, pleaded guilty to polluting the Westlea Brook, the River Ray and the River Thames on 23 January 2005, contrary to Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991. Magistrates fined the company £20,000 and ordered it to pay £9,562.40 in costs. More than 2,000 stickleback fish died in the Westlea Brook following the incident, as well as a swan, three kingfishers and two moorhens. The true impact on birdlife is difficult to estimate as some may have left the area as a result of the incident. Other birds suffered chemical burns and had their feathers coated in oil. The diesel killed all of the insect life and most of the fish in the Westlea Brook downstream from the discharge point. The River Ray was also effected with insect life described as being slow moving or moribund. Otters and water voles have struggled to make a comeback in the River Ray catchment and the Environment Agency are concerned that they will have been adversley effected by this oil spill. The Environment Agency received numerous reports from members of the public on 23 January that red diesel was spilling into the Westlea Brook and the River Ray, in Swindon. These prompt reports enabled the Environment Agency to attend the incident quickly thus reducing the potential impact on the River Ray. Environment Agency officer who attended the site and found that red diesel was coming from a surface water culvert close to Stoney Beck Close, Westlea where there was a strong smell of diesel in the air. The officer said that the Westlea Brook ‘looked like a river of diesel’. Environment Agency officers installed oil booms to stop oil spreading further. With the help of Thames Water they began tracing the source of the pollution through almost 2km of underground water pipes back to the Windmill Hill Industrial Estate. Officers inspecting the industrial estate soon identified the source of the diesel at the Cable and Wireless site, Windmill Hill Industrial Estate. Near to the company’s Energy Centre, there was a strong smell of diesel and they saw oil stains on pipes in the concrete yard which drained away to a surface water gully next to them. The company explained it had more than half a million litres of red diesel on site. The diesel is used to run 16 generators that perform various functions to provide back up power to web-hosting equipment. The company said that a valve and pump failure had caused the fuel dump tank to overflow through the vent pipes and then into a surface water drain which leads directly 16
into the Westlea Brook. Samples taken by Environment Agency officers on 24 January clearly link the diesel found in the surface water drain on the Cable and Wireless site to the diesel found along the Westlea Brook and the River Ray. Cable and Wireless instructed clean up crews to deal with the diesel, with the total cost of the clean up reaching £180,000. But despite this action, the incident still severely affected three rivers with adverse impacts to wildlife and on the recreational use of the watercourses for several months. Robert Iles, Environment Officer with the Environment Agency, said “Companies who keep oil on their premises, particularly in large quantities such as this, have a duty to ensure that a full environmental risk assessment is carried out. A detailed management system should be in place to safeguard the environment against the effects of any spillage”. “The identification of possible off-site impacts is a key part of such a plan. This company failed to carry out an adequate environmental risk assessment”. “There was also no alarm system or routine checks which may have alerted the company to the problem. As a result of this incident the company has now taken steps to ensure these controls are in place.” “This incident had a devastating impact along the Westlea Brook, the River Ray and the River Thames. It has resulted in damage to a valuable urban wildlife corridor with the loss of thousands of insects and fish, which will take some time to return. Effected birds such as the Kingfisher may take longer to reestablish their territories. “We are pleased that the court has reflected the impact the pollution had in imposing the maximum possible fine of £20,000 at Swindon Magistrates Court.” Mr Flemming Chair of the Magistrates bench said “Environmental issues are of great concern to all of us. Industry and large companies such as Cable and Wireless should lead the field in environmental standards and set an example.”
UK, The disappearing petrol station in the UK Oil companies are closing petrol stations in a drive to cut costs despite making record profits. Eleven forecourts a week are now being closed and the number owned by oil companies rather than supermarkets or other retailers - fell by more than 300 last year, figures from the Energy Institute show. Its retail marketing survey reveals
New APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507
that Britain now has fewer forecourts than in 1914 - even though combined diesel and petrol sales set a record last year. Oil companies complain that volumes might be high but margins are pitifully small and Shell has been putting pressure on its forecourt managers to take on "clusters" of stations to save costs. The company is also planning a huge new service centre in Poland, in an unusual move that could lead to hundreds of job losses throughout its European operation. The move surprised oil industry experts but Shell said it was part of a wider global move to develop regional centres for some back office functions. "As a global company, operating in over 140 countries, we use service centres to provide support functions for our business. We continually keep the provision of these service centres under review to provide high quality and cost competitive support functions," said a spokesman. Final agreement is still being sought from Polish authorities about setting up an office in Krakow where 400 jobs will be created initially. Eventually 800 Polish staff could be hired to handle certain billing functions for continental Europe. Other countries were considered before Shell decided on Poland, partly on the basis of cost. Sources close to the company insisted no British jobs would be lost because the billing functions for the UK and Ireland are handled in Glasgow. Both Shell and BP have announced record annual profits this year.
UK, Morrisons to open UK’s first bioethanol E85 pump British supermarket group Wm Morrison said it planned to open the UK's first bioethanol E85 filling pump on Wednesday, tying in with the first deliveries of the Saab 9-5 BioPower flex-fuel car. Bioethanol E85 (a blend of 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent petrol) will retail for two pence per litre less than petrol, and can contribute to a cut in the harmful effects to the environment caused by burning fossil fuels, Morrisons said. Morrisons, the UK's fourth largest supermarket chain, will locate the UK's first bioethanol E85 pump on the forecourt of its Albion Way, Norwich site, to be immediately followed by supplies at another four of its sites in eastern England. "Creating demand for this product will, in the medium to long term, present major opportunities for UK farmers to supply their excess cereals capacity to bioethanol manufacturers," Morrisons said in a statement.
