§ Mr. TruswellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the(a) level of pollution and (b) threat of pollution arising from spillages from oil storage tanks with insecure stop-cocks; and if he will make a statement. [88195]
§ Mr. MealeIn 1998 the Environment Agency recorded 5,308 water pollution incidents in England and Wales related to oil spillages. In a sample study six per cent. of incidents were identified by the Agency as due to faulty oil tank valves.
The Government are considering whether further measures to prevent water pollution from industrial, commercial and institutional (residential and nonresidential) oil storage installations are needed. We expect to make an announcement shortly.