Chemicals down drain warning
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• liazchem earner Norman Lewis Tankers has been given a severe warning after being convicted of an unauthorised discharge of a flammable chemical into the sewers.
North Eastern Deputy Licensing Authority Brian Horner had been deciding what action to take against the company, based near Selby, which has an international licence for 31 vehicles and trailers. It had been convicted at Doncaster Crown Court in November for an offence under the Public Health Act and fined £5,000 with £1,500 costs.
For the company, Stephen Kirkbright said this had been an isolated incident caused by human error. The chemical, tertiary butyl toluene, had been emptied into main drains at its Helsall depot. It was a class III ADR product — a category relating to potential danger from flammability rather than toxicity. The effect of the discharge had been to kill all the worms and bacteria at the sewage plant, stopping the sewage beds from working. The cost of the cleaning-up operation had been wholly met by Norman Lewis and its insurers.
Horner said the results could have been catastrophic. However it was to the company's credit that it had quickly provided the means to remove the chemical at its own cost.