Demolition downfall
Jun 27, 2011
The Environment Agency is urging demolition companies and contractors to make sure that they carry out a full environmental assessment of any site, before starting work to ensure they prevent any possible pollution spills or contamination.
The call comes after a demolition company was found guilty with regards to an oil spill which caused serious pollution to a canal in Hyde in March 2009. They were fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,635.
The company were demolishing a nearby site. Work began to clear soil from the top of a tank which had been earmarked for removal. Black oil (heavy fuel oil) then started leaking into the canal, eventually affecting a 3.5 km stretch.
Although the company acted responsibly, and contacted the Environment Agency to alert them to the pollution, as well as appointing specialist contractors to clean up the oil, this incident could have been avoided if the company had taken full account of pre-demolition reports prepared for the site and the company could also have sought advice from the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is investigating a number of similar incidents.
There was a significant environmental effect with 3.5 kilometres of canal covered with a film of oil; one duck covered in oil was found dead at the side of the canal and two dead fish were observed. The canal was closed for about six weeks until works were completed. A boat yard was also affected as it could not accept customers during the period of the works.
Operators working near drains or watercourses should take every precaution when dealing with storage tanks where the state and contents are unknown. This was a serious incident which could have been avoided if the company had carried out the right checks and sought advice and guidance, rather than having to fund an expensive clean up and face prosecution.
