Editor’s Report

Detailed below are new members that have recently joined the APEAduring April, May and June 2006.

April

Robert McArthur D H Morris Group Cumbernauld House Wilderness Brae, Cumbernauld Glasgow North Lanarkshire G67 3JG

Peter Narten Union Technik GmbH & Co. KG Paul-Esch-Str. 67-71 Duisburg 47053 Germany

Mike Hayton Belcom Cables Ltd Warish Hall Farm Takeley Bishops Stortford Herts CM22 6NZ

John Wainewright Environmental Land Solutions Ltd Brookend Business Centre Brookend Farm Kempsey Worcester Worcestershire WR5 3LF

Brian Joicey Retail Petroleum Solutions UK Ltd 38 Golds Nurseries Business Park Jenkins Drive, Elsenham Bishops Stortford Herts CM22 6JX

Willem de Villiers De Villiers & Khan Inc. PO Box 150 Ottery Cape Town 7808 South Africa

Colin Moore Taw Garages Victoria Road Barnstaple EX32 8NP

May

Francis McNally Tonagh Electrics Ltd 2 Tonagh Heights Draperstown BT45 7DD Iain Morgan 49 Bloomfield Road Bristol BS4 3QA

Daniel Simpson A.&G Simpson Scamblesby Garage New Main Road Scamblesby Louth Lincolnshire LN119XQ

Glenn Jermy Kent County Council 17 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4UL

Dolgorsuren Gansukh MPI Consultants Prime Minister Amar Str, Inter-nom building, 4 th floor Ulaanbaatar 976 Mongolia

Peter James City & County of Swansea, Environment Department Trading Standards Division Room 318 The Guildhall Swansea City & County of Swansea SA1 4PE

David Stefanowicz Electrical Contractors' Association ESCAHouse 34 Palac Court London WH2 4HY

June

Edwin Shanks 32B Cline Road Banbridge Down BT32 4PG

Stephen Dunlop Babcock Naval Services Health, Safety & Environment Department Building 1281 HMNB Clyde Helensburgh Argyll & Bute G84 8HL Chris Savage Gortnaskea Electrics 234 Washingbay Road Aughamullan Dungannon Tyrone BT71 5DS

Richard Chattaway Bedfordshire County Council County Hall Cauldwell Street Bedford MK42 9AP

Scott Sheppard Bedfordshire Trading Standards Service County Hall Cauldwell Street Bedford MK42 9AP

Simon Cockayne Hughes Network Systems Ltd Sunrise Parkway Linford Wood Milton Keynes MK14 6LS

David Hooper Flat 3, 29 Barrington Road Altrincham Cheshire WA14 1HP

Richard Gould Napit Inspections Ltd Mill 3 Room L4C Pleasley Value Business Park Mansfield NG19 8RL

Anton Moldan SAPetroleum Industry Association PO Box 7082 Roggebaai South Africa 8012

Colin Pizey 2 Long Mickle Little Sandhurst Berkshire GU47 8QW

Chris Moore Hexeal Composite Engineering Ltd Hexeal House Wymondham Bus Park Chestnut Drive Wymondham Norfolk NR18 9SB

John Sheffield Chimney Cottage Ninfield Road Bexhill on Sea East Sussex TN39 5JP

UK, North Wales. Man suffers burns in tank explosion

Aman who was cutting up an old diesel tank with a blow torch was injured in an explosion at a scrap yard on 12th June 2006.

North Wales Fire Service said the tank at the yard in Garden City on Deeside contained another chemical which ignited and then exploded. The man was taken to the Countess of Chester hospital suffering from burns on his back, head and hands. Crews said the fire was out by the time they got there.

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating. Ian Williams, county operations manager with the fire service, issued a warning about the dangers of cutting up old fuel tanks. He said: "Companies often buy old tanks and they don't know what has been stored in them previously. "We are advising everyone who buys waste scrap materials to seek advice from the fire and rescue service before starting cutting any of them up with blow torches as certain chemicals can react with the heat and the consequences could be devastating."

UK, May 25 2006. Customs raid ‘Illegal Fuel Ring’

Laundered fuel was sold to unsuspecting drivers

Customs officers have smashed an alleged nationwide fuel laundering ring in a joint operation with the police. One man has been arrested after 11 premises were searched in Northern Ireland and the south of England. Seven months of undercover work led to simultaneous operations in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Luton, London and NI. Two petrol tankers and storage tanks were seized along with 30,000 litres of laundered fuel. Afuel laundering plant was dismantled, and a petrol station in Paddington closed. Customs officers said the ring had resulted in a loss to the Exchequer of about £500,000 and that laundered fuel was sold to unsuspecting drivers through a petrol station in Paddington. Jim Caldwell of HM Revenue and Customs said the success of the operation was the result of determined efforts to disrupt and dismantle the illegal supply of fuel. "Organised crime has a detrimental and harmful effect on all our communities as well as a damaging impact on our environment," he said. "We would urge anyone with information on fuel misuse or suspicious activities in their area to contact us in confidence straight away." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/nort hern_ireland/5014148.stm

UK, Hampshire boys torched at barbie

Barbie horror ... Matthew and pals were engulfed by flames

Aboy of 13 told how he and his two screaming pals were engulfed in flames

on June 13 when a family barbecue turned into an inferno. Matthew Betteridge suffered burns to his face and chest as he tried to help Leroy Lawler, 13, and his brother Kyle, six, who had been closer to the fireball. The brothers were “serious but stable” in hospital. The barbie erupted when petrol was poured on to light it as his pals celebrated their sister Tara’s 18th birthday. Matthew said: “Suddenly

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there was a big wave of flame coming towards me. I ducked. “I saw Kyle’s legs were on fire, then I heard Leroy screaming. “Leroy ran in the house and out into the road. All his clothes were on fire and he didn’t have any hair left.”

Leroy’s burning body ignited curtains in the house in Southampton, Hants. Partygoers eventually doused the flames. Matthew said: “He was just saying, ‘burning, burning’. You couldn’t recognise his face.” The boys’mum Janine was with her sons in hospital. A male partygoer was also hurt.

Hampshire Fire Service warned people it was “extremely dangerous” to use petrol on barbecues. Matthew’s mum Leesa said: “Those boys are scarred for life. I’m not angry, but I want people to realise the danger.”

UK, London. Petrol station ‘flooding and pollution risk’

April 18 2006 - Protestors wish to stop the development of a new petrol station, which they say could pollute the River Wandle, endanger wildlife and increase the chance of flooding. The Haydons Bridge Residents' Association has said a plan to move a Shell petrol station further along Plough Lane, Wimbledon, would put it into the flood plain. If the river bursts its banks, as it has a one per cent chance of doing each year, the garage could leak oil into the watercourse.

The controversial plan has been recommended for approval by Merton council's planning department, despite the Environment Agency's objections. The decision is due to be made by the planning committee in Merton Civic Centre shortly.

UK, Norfolk to pioneer green fuel from beet

Britain's first refinery to produce "green" fuel from sugar beet will come on stream in Norfolk in less than two years, said British Sugar.

The £10m plant will be built at Wissington, near Downham Market, on the site of Europe's largest beet sugar factory and will produce 5pc of the nation's green fuel.

It is a major boost for Britain's fledgling biofuels industry, which could create thousands of jobs and help the rural economy.

The plant will process 750,000 tonnes of sugar beet to produce 55,000 tonnes of bioethanol.

Mark Hudson, president of the Country Land and Business Association, estimated that using 5pc of bioethanol in petrol could create 10,000 jobs and reduce carbon emissions from vehicles by half.

Peter Williams, British Sugar's development manager, said: "We will be turning sugar beet into alcohol or ethanol by fermenting partially-refined sugar."

The firm submitted a formal application to West Norfolk Council last December but has now placed a contract to design the first bioethanol plant. It will come on stream in the first quarter of 2007.

The Wissington factory, which was built in 1927, processes a quarter of the country's sugar beet - more than two million tonnes. It also produces the right blend of sugar syrups or "thick juice" for fermenting into bioethanol. Up to 5pc of this can be used in all petrol-engine vehicles without any modification.

A national coalition including environment-alists, farmers, car makers and British Sugar called on the Government to force oil companies to increase the volume of biofuels on sale. They want the so-called renewable transport fuel obligation in the Energy Act 2004 to be implemented.

This would boost home-grown production of biofuels. The backers include Ford, Saab, the Transport and General Workers' Union, Friends of the Earth and leading farming organisations.

Karl Carter, British Sugar's manufacturing director, said: "Bioethanol gives the Government an immediate opportunity to tackle this situation and regain the initiative on climate change. This is an environmental win-win for the UK."

Britain must source 5.75pc of fuel supplies as renewables by 2010 currently it is 0.03pc, mainly by converting waste cooking oil into biodiesel.

Campaigners said using 5pc bioethanol - from sugar beet or wheat would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking a million cars off Britain's roads.

Britain trails Europe in "green" fuel production; Germany makes 1.5m tonnes of biodiesel from oilseed rape and production is rising by 40pc to 50pc a year.

Even America has 12pc of cars fuelled by biofuel blends.

With reform proposals for Europe's sugar regime expected on Wednesday, beet growers face major price cuts of more than 35pc, down possibly to less than £20 a tonne.

British Sugar has indicated it will offer a competitive price to secure beet.

Mark Carr, British Sugar's chief executive, said: "Placing the design contract represents a significant step forward and clearly signals our intention to be part of the exciting new industry."

Farmers' leader Tim Bennett, who officially opened the Cereals 2005 event near Royston, Hertfordshire, said: "If we do not get a biofuels industry going in this next 12 months, we will have missed the boat."

UK, Fire safety Guidance Publications to support new fire safety order in the UK’s

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (OPDM) has recently published a series of guidance documents to support the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 (RRFSO) which is to come into effect in the UK from 1st October 2006.

The new RRFS Order calls for employers to undertake a fire risk assessment and to maintain a range of minimal fire safety measures. The 11 new guidance documents are designed to provide assistance not only to employers but also to fire authorities, consultants and designers.

No. 1 Offices & Shops

No. 2 Factories

No. 3 Sleeping Accommodation

No. 4 Residential Care Premises (In preparation)

No. 5 Educational Premises

No. 6Small & Medium Size Places of Public Assembly

No. 7Large Places of Public Assembly No.10Healthcare Premises (In preparation)

No. 11Transport Facilities

Guidance documents Numbers 1 and 11 are of specific interest to the domestic UK petroleum industry although it is quite probable that others will also be of interest.

Copies of these guidance in adobe acrobat format can be downloaded free from the OPDM web site on www.odpm.gov.uk/fire

UK, ‘Fuelish’motorists left stranded out of luck and out of fuel

UK men are more likely to put the wrong fuel in their car – and more likely to run out of petrol while on the road. More than one in ten accident-prone Brits have filled up their car with the WRONG type of fuel according to new research. Half of those caused so much damage to their vehicle it took on average of £125 to repair after the missfuel.

And if we Brits aren’t putting in the wrong type of fuel – we aren’t putting any in at all – almost half of us have run out of petrol or diesel according the survey of 4,000 motorists by roadside rescue expert Green Flag. But it’s not dizzy women drivers to blame for petrol problems it’s MEN who are more likely to put diesel in a petrol car or vice versa. Apreoccupied 14 per cent of blokes admitted to putting in the wrong fuel compared to only ten per cent of females. Men are the worst culprits for not filling up in time too – 52 per cent have confessed to breaking down after running out of fuel compared to only 42 per cent of women. An incompetent nine per cent of male drivers have run out of petrol three or four times. And it’s no surprise why, when more than one in twenty Brits use every last drop of fuel in the tank and like to gamble to see how far they can travel with the petrol light on. But at the other end of the scale – a paranoid nine per cent fill up as soon as the petrol gauge reads half a tank, just to be on the safe side.

Two-thirds of women have been left embarrassed on the garage forecourt after struggling to get the petrol cap off, but to combat such problems a third of ladies leave re-fuelling to their other