Hefty Penalties liable unless Fuel Tanks are Bunded in Scotland

All new and existing commercial and agricultural fuel storage tank installations over 200-litre capacity in Scotland are now required to be bunded. As of 1st April, with the introduction of the final instalment of the Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland) Regulations 2006, any tank installation must have secondary containment. This applies to the storage and dispensing of fuel. Those failing to comply could be liable for hefty penalties, with fines of up to £40,000. Typical examples of the types of facilities that will be affected by the regulation update include farms, factories, public sector buildings, retail, offices, motor, and transport garages. Kingspan Environmental, a leading UK manufacturer of fuel and oil tanks, says the legislation will be a significant step forward for pollution control. Tony Soper, Kingspan Environmental’s GB Sales Director, observes: “This should sound the death knell for single-skinned fuel storage tanks at last. Not surprisingly, it’s generating a lot of enquiries from companies who are concerned about complying with the new legislation. “Bunded tanks, such as our Titan EcoSafe and FuelMaster ranges – which are the most advanced range of integrally bunded, storage systems available within the UK – have an outer skin which provides added protection against drips and spillages. “The FuelMaster also has integral pump and nozzle, making it the ideal solution for the safe dispensing of fuel, anywhere from large distribution centres to construction sites.” The FuelMaster can be integrated with a Tank Monitoring System, which features level reading, overfill alarm, leak detection, flow metering and bund alarm all in one neat box. The Titan EcoSafe range of oil storage tanks are fitted with the WatchmanAlarm ultrasonic oil level monitor. This uses a transmitter on top of the tank and ultrasonic level techniques to measure the level of oil in a tank and sets of an alarm when there is a dramatic fall in oil levels. Tank sizes range from 1000 litre to 9000 litre. In common with other fuel storage systems, FuelMaster and EcoSafe tanks should only be installed by a suitably qualified engineer with OFTEC registration or equivalent. For more information call the technical help line: tel. 0800 345 7178.