Ignored warnings over ‘potentially explosive underground petrol tank’ land firm with £2,000 fine

CJ Hurst (Lickfold) Ltd of The Street, Bury, pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined £1,650 and ordered to pay £332 in costs at a hearing at Worthing Magistrates’ court.

According to West Sussex County Council, the petrol tank is located beneath a business yard near Lickfold, West Sussex, which is owned by the company.

The units within the yard are rented out to other local businesses and it is understood that the underground tank had been disused for nearly 30 years.

Despite numerous interventions from Trading Standards, the company did not to make it safe.

The county council said all petrol tanks, even those emptied of fuel, pose a risk of explosion unless they are properly decommissioned.

The court heard that having failed to deal with the matter on an advisory basis, petroleum officers from West Sussex Trading Standards served a notice to the company under Public Health legislation requiring the tank to be made safe.

The company failed to comply with the notice so officers took further 
action.

Nobody from the company attended the court hearing but the legal representative for CJ Hurst (Lickfold) Ltd told the court the company had now made the petrol tank safe by filling it with heating oil.

Peter Aston, West Sussex Trading Standards team manager, said: “Disused petrol tanks have the potential to be incredibly dangerous unless dealt with in the correct way.

“Officers had sought to work with the company and made several warnings which were repeatedly ignored.”