I
Ian Cloke
Guest
Leisure Employment Services Limited, a subsidiary company of Bourne Leisure Limited have been fined ?5,000 after pleading guilty to polluting the River Wye with heating oil.
They were also ordered to pay full costs of ?1,986 in a prosecution brought by Environment Agency Wales at Hereford Magistrates Court on 3 April 2007.
The Company pleaded guilty to causing poisonous and polluting matter (oil) to enter controlled waters contrary to Section 85 (1) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
In the incident, in January 2006, underground pipes serving the Holme Lacey House Hotel with heating oil from a storage tank, ruptured. Oil seeped into the ground and entered a nearby lake.
The contaminated water from the lake discharged via an outlet pipe to the River Wye. An oily sheen was visible on the surface of the Wye for approximately ten miles downstream.
Since the incident, following discussions with the Agency, the Company have replaced their heating system and had oil interceptors installed at the inlet and outlet of the lake thereby reducing the likelihood of a recurrence.
After the case Agency Environment Officer Susan Lenthall said: "It is important to carry out regular maintenance checks on oil storage infrastructure and to monitor for any signs of leakage or unusual levels of consumption.
"All responsible companies will also have effective contingency plans to contain any leakage or spillage arising from a storage failure. This incident could have been prevented had the company had appropriate management systems in place.
"Even if it is unintentional, any individual or company found to have caused a pollution may still be liable and therefore face enforcement action."
They were also ordered to pay full costs of ?1,986 in a prosecution brought by Environment Agency Wales at Hereford Magistrates Court on 3 April 2007.
The Company pleaded guilty to causing poisonous and polluting matter (oil) to enter controlled waters contrary to Section 85 (1) of the Water Resources Act 1991.
In the incident, in January 2006, underground pipes serving the Holme Lacey House Hotel with heating oil from a storage tank, ruptured. Oil seeped into the ground and entered a nearby lake.
The contaminated water from the lake discharged via an outlet pipe to the River Wye. An oily sheen was visible on the surface of the Wye for approximately ten miles downstream.
Since the incident, following discussions with the Agency, the Company have replaced their heating system and had oil interceptors installed at the inlet and outlet of the lake thereby reducing the likelihood of a recurrence.
After the case Agency Environment Officer Susan Lenthall said: "It is important to carry out regular maintenance checks on oil storage infrastructure and to monitor for any signs of leakage or unusual levels of consumption.
"All responsible companies will also have effective contingency plans to contain any leakage or spillage arising from a storage failure. This incident could have been prevented had the company had appropriate management systems in place.
"Even if it is unintentional, any individual or company found to have caused a pollution may still be liable and therefore face enforcement action."