RPM Fuels & Tanks Blog

The Environment Agency recently studied the benefits of secondary containment for domestic oil storage installations and concluded that its introduction could prevent up to 640 pollution-related incidents annually. This translates to a public saving of around £1m per annum. The agency has since called for the compulsory introduction of secondary containment at all new and replacement home-based storage installations in England and Wales.

In a report that followed the DCLG review of The Building Regulations Approved Document J, The Environment Agency also made calls for better regulation of domestic installations. In particular, that underground oil tanks should be regulated under amendments to the Buildings Regulation. In addition, they urged that oil storage solutions at residential locations should be given the same level of environmental protection as those on corporate and public premises.

The report follows warnings by the Environment Agency to residents in the South East of England to check oil tanks for damage caused by sub-zero temperatures. Following extended periods of cold weather insurers are often hit with a spate of claims from homeowners who discover an oil spill. In many cases using secondary containment such as a bunded oil storage tank would have prevented the breach.

In the corporate world, the lack of compulsory second containment has been controversial in recent years. In November 2009, power company Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution was fined £20,000 for an oil spill that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency said could have been prevented with adequate secondary containment.

The Environment Agency’s report, like previous calls for compulsory secondary containment, has been met with broad support from the oil heating industry.