A Practical Guide to:

The Oil Storage Regulations (Environment Agency Guidance)

Ensuring legal compliance and environmental protection for oil storage and secondary containment.

Overview

To help prevent pollution and ensure environmental compliance, the Environment Agency sets out mandatory requirements for the storage of oil at commercial, public, and certain domestic premises. Below is a general guide to help you understand your obligations under the current Oil Storage Regulations.

Who must comply

You must follow these regulations if you store 201 litres or more of oil at any:

  •  Business (including marinas)
  •  Public sector facility (e.g. schools, hospitals, leisure centres)

For domestic settings, the regulations apply if you store 3,501 litres or more, including on barges or houseboat.

Applicable containers

The rules apply to a wide range of storage systems, including:

  •  Fixed tanks and oil drums
  •   Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs)
  •   Mobile bowsers
  •   Some generator fuel tanks

Types of oil covered

You must comply with the regulations when storing the following:

  •  Fuels: Petrol, diesel, kerosene, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), biofuels
  •  Lubricants: Synthetic, biodegradable, and cutting oils
  •  Other: Vegetable oils, insulating oils, oil-based solvents, and bitumen-based liquids used in construction
  •  [Grease is generally excluded unless stored in large volumes or outdoors].

Secondary Containment (Spill Protection)

All regulated oil containers must have secondary containment to prevent environmental harm in case of leakage. Acceptable methods include:

  •  Bunds: Outer enclosures that contain spills
  •  Drip trays: Used primarily for smaller containers
  •  Note: Double-skinned or twin-walled tanks do not qualify as secondary containment

Capacity Requirements

  •  Single tanks: Secondary containment must hold 110% of the container’s capacity
  •  Multiple tanks: Must hold the greater of: 25% of the total volume stored, or 110% of the largest container

    Hydraulically linked containers must be treated as one, with secondary containment sized accordingly.

Bund Design Requirements

Bunds can either be:

  •  Manufactured as part of a tank system – tanks that are ‘pre-bunded’ by the manufacturer in this way are known as ‘integrally bunded’ tanks
  •  Constructed from masonry or concrete

For bunds of either variety you must make sure:

  •  The bund is impermeable to oil and water – oil and water cannot pass through
  •  The base or walls of the bund do not have a pipe, valve or opening that allows the bund to be drained
  •  Any fill pipe or draw-off pipe that passes through the bund base or wall is sealed to stop oil getting out of the bund
  •  The bund contains every part of the container and its associated equipment (such as valves) unless the oil being stored has a flash point of less than 32℃ (such as ethanol), in which case filters, sight gauges, valves and other equipment can sit outside the bund

Bunds constructed from masonry and concrete are likely to need a rendering or coating on the internal surfaces of the base and walls to make them impermeable.

The Construction Research and Information Association (CIRIA) has published advice on how to construct bunds that meets these requirements.

Enforcement & Penalties

Failure to comply can result in:

  1. Fines or prosecution
  2. Anti-pollution works notices requiring corrective action

Read the full document on the Government website here.

Need Expert Support?

At GPT Environmental, we help businesses across multiple industries ensure compliance with environmental legislation Contact us for expert advice on oil storage assessments, bunding systems, and environmental risk management.

Call us on 01656 741799

Or send an enquiry to [email protected]