|
The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations
2001
For many years oil was the most common pollutant reported.
Before 2003, over 5000 incidents a year were reported. For the last three years
the numbers have dropped and in 2005 there were just fewer than 4000 oil pollution
incidents. That is still a lot of pollution that could have been avoided and
we are working together with the oil industry, oil tank manufacturers, oil delivery
companies, businesses and the public to make sure this downward trend continues.
Most problems are caused by oil leaking from tanks either
during storage or delivery. That’s why we have The Control of Pollution
(Oil Storage) (England) Regulations, which require tank owners to provide a
secondary containment facility, such as a bund or drip tray to prevent oil getting
into the water environment.
The regulations affect you if you store oil in containers
greater than 200 litres, above ground at an industrial, commercial or institutional
site, or if you store more than 3500 litres of oil at a domestic property. At
the moment these regulations only apply in England, but Scotland, Northern Ireland
and Wales are likely to bring in their own regulations in due course.
For further information please visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk
|