Legal first as firm fined £75k after greenhouse gas leak

A FIRM has been hit with the first ever fine issued in Scotland for a greenhouse gas leak.

Health food company DSM Nutritional Products was ordered to pay £75,000 for failing to install equipment to detect leaks of powerful fluorinated gas (F-gas).

F-gases are human-made substances with a global warming effect up to 25,000 times greater than carbon dioxide.

In Scotland, operators who use equipment that relies on the gases are obliged to take precautions to prevent leakage.

At the DSM factory in Dalry, Ayrshire, the level of F-gas was more than eight times the reporting threshold, equal to almost 900kg of CO2 equivalent.

The release was caused by leaks in four of the firm’s water chillers, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

The enforcement body said the exposure made the company one of the top three polluters in the country. Jamie McGeachy, carbon reduction, energy and industry unit manager at Sepa, said: ‘The requirement to install a leak detection system first came into force in 2006, which means the company was non-compliant for 14 years before this leak happened.

‘It is simply unacceptable for industries that use greenhouse gases to fail to meet their environmental responsibilities.

‘This civil penalty demonstrates Sepa’s commitment to enforcing obligations under the F-gas regulations and I hope it serves as a warning.’

The offence carries a maximum fine of up to £100,000.

Sepa is appealing for the public’s help in tracing those responsible for illegally depositing sewage on the Isle of Bute.

What appears to be waste from septic tanks has reportedly been disposed of in woodland near Loch Quien on the island in the Firth of Clyde.