Sarah
Cooper - 1 October 2008 - As the dark nights
start to draw in and the temperature drops
the risk to oil tanks on commercial and
domestic properties increases.
The Environment Agency
is today, Tuesday 30 September, launching
an oil storage campaign, to ensure the safety
and security of oil in tanks and to protect
the environment by preventing pollution
incidents.
Last year the Agency
was called to more than 140 incidents across
the area, most caused by poor maintenance
or inadequate security of both commercial
and domestic oil storage containers.
Leaked oil can end up
in drains, many of which lead directly to
rivers, streams lakes and even garden ponds,
having the same effect as pouring it directly
into the watercourse. Oil is poisonous to
fish and other wildlife and smothers plants
- just two litres of oil could seriously
pollute the volume of fresh water needed
to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Richard Bowen, environment
manager, said: “Good oil storage can save
money, especially at a time of increased
oil prices. The loss of oil, whether through
poor tank maintenance or lack of security,
will prove costly to the owner and the environment.
“Our statistics show
that we receive an increase in the number
of calls at this time of year reporting
pollution incidents involving leaking or
damaged oil tanks and from insurance companies
about oil thefts.
“We hope that by reminding
people about good oil storage and security,
before the clocks go back, that there will
be a reduction in the number of pollution
incidents.”
The campaign, set to
run for six weeks, will include advice and
information on tank maintenance and security,
the pollution that can be caused and what
punishment can be expected if you cause
pollution by not protecting your tank.
Richard added: “The
aim of the campaign is to protect the environment
from any preventable pollution and we hope
that if people follow our advice and information,
the number of incidents will be reduced.”
+ More
Sussex asbestos removal
firm prosecuted by the Environment Agency
and Health and Safety Executive
Lucy Harding - 2-Oct-2008
- The Environment Agency, together with
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has
prosecuted a Hailsham based company for
illegally removing, transporting and disposing
of hazardous asbestos.
Mr Robert McCart and
his company Sussex Asbestos Solutions of
North Street, Hailsham, East Sussex pleaded
guilty to the offences at Eastbourne Magistrates
Court. They were fined a total of £36,000
and were ordered to pay a total of £4,000
costs. In addition a sum of £4,000
was ordered to be paid in compensation as
well as Mr McCart being disqualified from
being a company director for four years.
The Court heard that
in July 2007, Sussex Asbestos Solutions
were employed by the owner of a shop and
flat in Gore Park Road in Eastbourne to
advise on asbestos removal. Due to the failure
of a sub-contractor to remove asbestos boards
from the property, Mr McCart did the job
himself despite having no appropriate licence
to undertake the work. Also, the type of
asbestos was discovered to be the more dangerous
variety of brown asbestos, and the illegal
removal of the material was reported to
the HSE.
The Environment Agency
served a notice on Mr McCart in February
2008, requiring him to produce a waste transfer
note for the movement of the asbestos taken
from the property. However, the documentation
received from the defendant company covered
the movement of bonded asbestos from a property
in Vale Road, Seaford to Sussex Skips in
November 2007. The note was accompanied
by a letter saying that the asbestos had
been double wrapped in polythene sheeting
and all open joins were sealed with duct
tape.
When the Environment
Agency’s register was checked it confirmed
that neither Mr McCart or his company were
registered to carry waste at the time the
asbestos was removed. The waste consignment
note was also made from a completely different
address and was not the true source of the
asbestos. The asbestos itself was the more
hazardous type and this was unknown to Sussex
Skips when they disposed of it. Therefore
not only did the defendant company cause
Sussex Skips to breach their own licence
conditions, they could have put the workers
at the skip site in danger by risking them
handling extremely hazardous waste.
Commenting on the case,
Andy Holmes of the Environment Agency said:
“There are well established procedures for
handling and disposing of all waste materials
and extra precautions are required for hazardous
substances such as asbestos.
“By not complying with
the legislation and following the correct
procedures, the defendant not only put his
own health at risk but also that of others.
Anyone employing a contractor to carry out
work on their premises should ensure that
they are suitably qualified to do the work
and that they dispose of any waste material
correctly.”
In mitigation Mr McCart
pleaded guilty to all the offences, had
no previous convictions and said no offences
had occurred before or since the prosecution.
The Court found due
to the extremely hazardous nature of the
asbestos that serious offences had taken
place with the risk of harm to human health.
