20/06/2005 - Dry cleaning
company Johnsons Apparelmaster Ltd of London
Road, Leigh-on-Sea was today (Mon) fined £12,000
and ordered to pay £2,617 costs after
admitting polluting a stream.
Waste oils containing a dry-cleaning solvent
ran into a stream feeding into Prittle Brook
at Hadleigh, near Leigh-on-Sea, turning it
red/brown for about 250 metres and giving
rise to a strong oil smell.
There was a serious risk to the environment
from the dangerous Class 1 substance perchloroethylene,
which was mixed in with the oil but prompt
action prevented fish and invertebrates from
dying.
Southend-on-Sea magistrates were told that
the pollution happened because a tank at the
company’s premises in London Road had overflowed
into a bunded area (an area with raised edges)
which had a hole in it.
Water from a nearby cooling tower was also
flowing into the bunded area which was helping
to push the oil out of the hole and onto the
ground and then into the surface water system.
Environment Agency officers, with the help
of Anglian Water, had traced the source of
the oil for about 1kilometre from the stream
to the company’s premises through the surface
water sewerage system after a member of the
public had alerted them on the evening of
15 October 2003.
Company staff were called in by the police
and they arranged a clean up to be started
that night. Low rainfall and dry weather conditions
prevented the oil being pushed further than
250 metres downstream.
An internal report by the company suggested
a number of factors which contributed to the
spill including an inadequate bunded area
which had several holes in it; no formal procedure
for checking the tank; and a nearby surface
water drain which was not protected from free-flowing
oil.
After the hearing, Environment Agency officer
Steve Bewers said: "It is important that
stored oils and chemicals, including waste
materials are contained in such a way that
any leakages do not escape to the environment.
Failure to do so can result in damage to the
environment, lost materials and considerable
expense for the polluter.
"In addition, failure on the part of
Johnsons Apparelmaster to recognise the weaknesses
in the bund and the use of the bund to provide
a pathway for rainwater allowed oil to escape
to the river. Better staff training may well
have prevented this situation from arising.
"Had it not been for the dry weather
conditions on this occasion, the pollution
of Prittle Brook could have been more extensive."
The company admitted that on or about 15
October 2003 it caused poisonous, noxious
or polluting matter to enter controlled waters,
namely a tributary of the Prittle Brook near
Ewan Way, Hadleigh, Essex, contrary to section
85(1) and (6) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
On 1 September this year, the Oil Storage
Regulations 2001 come fully into force. Under
these Regulations it will be an offence not
to provide adequate and effective protection
of oil storage containers of 200 litres capacity
or more. Had these Regulations been in force
at the time, Johnsons Apparelmaster would
not have been compliant with the requirements.
