Thousands of litres of fuel leaked into drain at airport
THOUSANDS of litres of fuel leaked at Gloucestershire Airport has sparked an investigation involving the Environment Agency.
The spillage leaked into a drain near where the incident occurred because of a mechanical fault with a fuel tanker.
The Environment Agency, Severn Trent and Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service were called to attend the incident to assess and manage the situation.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: ”We can confirm that we attended the site to support the Fire Service.
“The spillage of fuel in the fuel storage area was contained in the drainage system and there was no escape of fuel into the surrounding environment.
“We are continuing to work with the airport on a full internal investigation into the incident. If local residents have environmental concerns they should call our hotline on 0800-807060.”
The delivery driver had been relieved of his fuel delivery duties and has been placed on a retraining programme.
Managing Director, Gloucestershire Airport Karen Taylor said: “We can confirm that there was a minor incident at Gloucestershire Airport at 07:45am, 27 May 2022.
“Fuel is routinely delivered to the airport by tanker. Due to a mechanical fault with the pump on the tanker making the delivery on this occasion, some 3,000 litres of fuel was spilled.
“Airport staff, including the airport’s fire and rescue service, were immediately called to the location to assess and manage the situation, while the accident and emergency services were called and arrived at the airport shortly thereafter.
“Because fuel had run into a nearby drain, the Environment Agency and Severn Trent were also called to the airport.
“The Environment Agency confirmed within 45 minutes that the interceptor on the drain ensured that the spillage had been wholly contained within the drain, preventing any contamination of the nearby brook.
“The Environment Agency also oversaw the pumping of a special foam into the drain as a precautionary measure to ensure the prevention of contamination elsewhere.
“Further to this work being carried out the airport reopened at approximately 10.15am - an hour and a half after the incident took place.
“The fuel delivery company has accepted full liability for the incident. The delivery driver was immediately relieved of refuelling duties pending successful completion of a re-training programme.
“Together with the fuel delivery company, we have also conducted our own comprehensive investigation of the incident.
“This included a full analysis of the driver’s training records, the company’s pumping procedures, the tanker’s maintenance records, what mechanical work had recently been carried out on the tanker, and the experience of the mechanic who completed the work.”