Now’s the time to check your oil tank

It is also the time that the Cotswold District Council urges householders to check their domestic heating oil storage tanks to protect the environment and reduce the risk of potentially large financial losses.  

Domestic heating oil can cause major problems. It can contaminate the ground around and under homes, kill plants, harm wildlife, pollute rivers and contaminate water supplies. The costs of cleaning up spills can run into tens of thousands of pounds and not all such events are covered by household insurance. 

Cotswold District Council and the Environment Agency are finding themselves investigating increasing numbers of leaking tanks. Councillor Andrea Pellegram, Cabinet Member for Environment and Regulatory Services said: “I would encourage householders to ensure that their tanks and pipework are in a good state of repair. This will help  avoid causing environmental problems and the expense associated with the loss of oil and potential clean-up work”. 

Householders are therefore advised to take the following actions:- 

• check your tank and pipework regularly for any signs of corrosion damage,  
  bulging, interference or leakage. The smell of fuel is usually the first indication of a leak; 

• if you spot a problem, get it fixed immediately by an Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) technician; 

• keep a close check on how much oil you use – if it increases suddenly, you may have a leak; 

• supervise oil deliveries – you should never allow your tank to be overfilled and you shouldn’t order more oil than you can safely store; and 
• check your home insurance covers clean-up costs on both your property and neighbouring land – always notify insurers immediately in the event of a spill or suspected spill. 

An advisory leaflet entitled “Domestic Heating Oil Storage” provides further information, you can find it on our website here.