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Oil Storage Information

The correct and safe storage of oils and lubricants is of the utmost importance to us...

Regulations of Oil Storage

Unfortunately oil is one of the most common reports of pollution, contributing to over 15% of pollution incidents each year. It can harm plants and marine life, damage rivers, groundwater and soil and destroy natural habitats and drinking water supplies.

Oil Storage Regulations require anybody in England who stores more than 200 litres of oil, to provide secure containment facilities for tanks, drums, Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) and mobile bowsers. There are different regulations for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Different regulations apply depending on where you store your oil or fuel, how much you store and what you are using the oil or fuel for. If you choose not to comply with these regulations, you can be served an anti-pollution works notice or face prosecution. If you are a business and store more than 200 litres of oil or fuel, you must adhere to the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001.

Where Should I Store My Oil and Fuel?

Your tank must be stored at least 10 meters away from inland or coastal waters, away from areas that are at danger from flooding and 50 meters clear of a spring to avoid the risk of pipelines breaking and causing an oil spillage. Your tank should be on floor level or below ground level – it must never be stored above roof level. Remember, your tank needs to be easily accessed for deliveries and maintenance, but away from areas that are at risk of damage via impact, machinery and weather.

For further information on all oil storage requirements and to read the full relevant UK Government regulations please click here

Our Popular Oil Storage Solution - Bulk Storage Tanks

Here at Witham, we appreciate that oil needs to be kept safe and stored properly, not only because it is the law, but because it is the right thing to do. That is why, as part of our service, we offer simple colour coded, secure bulk storage tanks, free of charge for customers who use our oil on a regular basis.

Simple, clean and easy to use, these tanks help keep your working space ship-shape, avoid spills from containers, helps avoid important oil contamination and helps the environment by using less packaging. They also help achieve important health and safety and oil storage requirements keeping users and the environment as safe as possible.

We can help advise on the best way to install the tanks in garages, outbuildings and workshops, which for standard sizes are free of charge. The different lubricants are filled up in the colour coded tanks as required. The tanks have sight gauges, taps or pumps and come labelled with the product name and its application.

The Benefits of using our Bulk Storage Tanks are:

Keeps workshops clean and tidy
Helps the environment by using less container packaging
Creates more space in workshops and garages
Easy to distinguish different lubricants for various uses
Helps avoid oil spills and contamination
Long lasting storage solution - with good maintenance these will last up to 50 years.

If you have any questions about the storage of your oil or would like to talk to someone about installing Bulk Storage Tanks then please call your local depot and we will be happy to help.