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Skipton Oil Spillage Information Appeal
18th February 2005
Baffled Environment Agency officials in Skipton are appealing for help from the public after oil appeared on the Leeds to Liverpool canal in the town for the second time in a month.
The Environment Agency was called by a member of the public yesterday (Thursday) reporting oil on the canal. Officers attended and found that a three-quarter mile stretch - from the canal basin to near Bradley - was covered in a "rainbow" sheen. The pollution was worst in the stretch of canal behind Sackville Street, with white globules of oil forming and floating on the water.
Three weeks ago officers were called to a similar incident further upstream on the canal near Skipton Wood, but have so far drawn blanks on both incidents.
Environment Management Team Leader for the area Ian Cowie said "Oil incidents like this are notoriously difficult to pin down. It could have come from anywhere and only takes a small amount of oil to cause this type of slick. We"ve checked up and downstream of where the oil is but don"t have any clues."
"If anyone has information that could help us in this investigation I"d encourage them to call us on our freephone number (0800 807 060) so that we can follow it up."
Meanwhile, Dewhirst Ladiesware Limited whose registered office is situated at Driffield, East Yorkshire pleaded guilty to a charge of causing polluting matter to enter controlled waters in a case brought at Ammanford Magistrates Court yesterday.
The company was fined £2,000 and was also ordered to pay £2,017 in costs to Environment Agency Wales who successfully brought the prosecution. The Company had already paid the Agency"s investigation costs of £4,059.
The Company pleaded guilty to causing fuel oil to enter the Nant Arw and the Fferws Brook contrary to Section 85(1) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
The Court heard that the incident had occurred on 2 April 2004. The collapse and rupture of a heating oil tank at the Company"s Distribution Centre at Capel Hendre near Ammanford led to the release of approximately 9,000 litres of oil, some of which entered the Nant Arw and the Fferws Brook.
Investigations by the Environment Agency had found that the structure on which the tank was supported was inadequate. The stand collapsed spilling the heating oil, which entered a surface water drain before flowing into the streams. The Company had told the court that investigation of the incident and remedial work had already cost them a sum in excess of £90,000.
Speaking after the case, Agency Environment Officer David Ellar said "This incident could have been prevented if the heating oil tank had been installed above ground in a secure, bunded area and was also regularly inspected and maintained. We urge all site owners who store potentially polluting liquids to take appropriate measures to prevent spillage which can pollute our streams and rivers.’
’Guidance on preventing pollution is available from local Environment Agency Wales offices and the Agency’s internet site. We hope that this case will act as a reminder to businesses of the need to ensure that pollution prevention facilities are properly installed, maintained and managed at all times to prevent such disastrous and costly incidents from occurring."
