Earth Watch Report - Environmental Pollution - Oil Leak
About
150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River
Kennet, just upstream from top public school Marlborough College,
pictured, in Wiltshire
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Environment PollutionUnited KingdomEngland, Marlborough [Esso pipeline, Wiltshire]
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RSOE EDIS
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to 150,000 litres of fuel leaked into farmland in Marlborough after
thieves drilled through a major Esso pipeline. The attack on the
pipeline running through the estate of the late multi-millionaire Robert
Sangster in Manton happened on April 2, causing a high risk of an
explosion. News of the incident, in which a tapping device was used to
break into the pipeline 8ft underground, has only just emerged. It pumps
fuel from the Fawley Refinery in Hampshire to a distribution terminal
in Birmingham. A hose had been connected to the pipe, which carries a
range of fuels, and was then hidden with soil. It was disturbed by a
farmer, resulting in the leak. Esso does not yet know how much fuel has
leaked but says 150,000 litres would be the worst case scenario. A
spokesman said: "The pipeline was quickly repaired and has resumed
operation and there is no indication of any impact on human health as a
result of the leak. "We remain committed to resolving the situation
fully. At the moment we are trying to determine whether there has been a
leak and if there has, where the fuel has gone." A 500-metre safety
cordon was put into place while the scale of the incident was
established and people living nearby moved as a precaution. Wiltshire
Fire and Rescue Service fire engines, from Marlborough, Calne and
Devizes, together with an operational support unit and an incident
command vehicle from Swindon. A fire crew remained at the scene for 32
hours as a precaution. Police and the fire service said this week that
they didn't release details of the incident because they were acting on
behalf of the Wiltshire and Swindon Local Resilience Forum, a body
including fire, police and ambulance, Wiltshire Council and Public
Health England, and it was up to the forum to make the incident public.
Town councillors were sent an email marked confidential by town clerk
Shelley Parker giving brief details of the incident days afterwards. At a
full council meeting on Monday Carl Barber, the Marlborough fire crew
manager, told councillors: "It's extremely dangerous. That is an
extremely pressurised line at times and it can be a danger."It was
brought to our attention by the police as some was seen to be leaking
and it did take 32 hours and seven appliances because our attendance was
required while they isolated and dealt with the issue." Esso has
depressurised the pipeline to limit leaks. It says there is still a
quantity of diesel and petrol mixture in a hole approximately 1.4 metres
deep on the Manton estate. The firm contacted Action for the River
Kennet to identify suitable monitoring points along the river in case of
pollution. The Environment Agency is working with Public Health England
to evaluate the impact on water courses. An Environment Agency
spokesman said: "At present there is no impact to the River Kennet, but
we continue to monitor the situation closely." Police in Hampshire are
investigating a large quantity of diesel found in a large industrial
unit in East Wellow on April 17. It is believed that the tanks found
were being filled from a sophisticated system which had tapped into a
main fuel line. Two men, aged 32 and 34, from the Salisbury area, were
arrested on suspicion of conspiring to steal fuel. They are on bail
pending further inquiries. Detectives from Lyndhurst CID in Hampshire
are working with other police forces, including Wiltshire, as part of a
wider investigation into breaches of fuel lines in the south of England. |
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Thieves drill down 8ft into Esso pipeline - and spark major pollution alert at top fishing river
150,000 litres of fuel contaminated soil close to River Kennet in Wiltshire
Thieves drilled underground pipeline causing the leak near fishing spot
Attack on Esso refinery pipe believed to be first of its kind in Britain
Published: 19:22 EST, 10 May 2014 | Updated: 19:22 EST, 10 May 2014
Petrol
thieves have drilled into an underground pipeline and caused a leak of
thousands of litres of fuel next to a popular fishing river, sparking a
major environmental alert.
About
150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River
Kennet, just upstream from top public school Marlborough College in
Wiltshire.
Police are investigating the attack on the Esso refinery pipeline, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.
150,000 litres of fuel have contaminated soil close to the River Kennet, pictured, in Wiltshire
A
Wiltshire Police source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We’re used to fuel
being stolen from farms by rural criminals but this is quite a step
further. Two men have been detained in the Somerset area with a large
amount of illicit fuel but at this stage we don’t know if the two
incidents are linked.’
The
theft was from the Midline pipeline, which carries fuel from the Fawley
Refinery near Southampton to the Birmingham Fuels Terminal.
Read More Here
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