Oil storage regulations

If your business stores more than 200 litres of oil in a single container, you must comply with oil storage regulations. These regulations exist because oil is one of the most common pollutants in the UK, accounting for a significant proportion of all pollution incidents reported to the Environment Agency each year.

A single litre of oil can contaminate up to one million litres of drinking water. Leaks and spills from poorly maintained tanks, missing bunds, and corroded pipework cause serious and long-lasting damage to watercourses, groundwater, and soil. Getting your oil storage right is a legal requirement and a practical necessity.

Who the regulations apply to

The Oil Storage Regulations apply to all industrial, commercial, and institutional premises in England where oil is stored in above-ground containers with a capacity exceeding 200 litres. This includes:

• Businesses heating their premises with oil-fired boilers
• Workshops and factories storing lubricants, hydraulic oil, or cutting fluids
• Farms storing diesel, heating oil, or waste oil
• Construction sites with fuel bowsers or generator tanks
• Garages and vehicle maintenance facilities storing engine oil
• Any business with a backup generator that uses oil or diesel

What counts as "oil"

The regulations define "oil" broadly. It covers:

• petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, heating oil (kerosene), gas oil and heavy fuel oil
• mineral oils such as lubricating, hydraulic, cutting and transformer oils
• vegetable and plant oils such as cooking oil and biodiesel feedstock (though these are sometimes regulated under different waste provisions)
• synthetic oils, including silicone-based fluids
• waste oil, including used engine oil, sump oil and any oil awaiting disposal or recycling

If you are unsure whether a product counts as "oil" under the regulations, check with the Environment Agency or your devolved regulator.

Container and bunding requirements

The bund, drip tray and bowser standards are set out above. In day-to-day practice:

• Store drums and IBCs under cover where you can, so rainwater does not fill the drip tray.
• Check drums, IBCs and their drip trays regularly for leaks, corrosion and damage.
• When a bowser is in use on a construction site, keep it away from drains and watercourses.

Fill points and delivery

Fill pipes and vent pipes outside the bund are a common area of non-compliance. Fit an automatic shut-off valve or overfill alarm to prevent overfills, check the tank level before you accept a delivery, and be present during deliveries to watch for spills.

Inspection and maintenance routine

Regular inspection prevents the gradual deterioration that causes most oil pollution incidents:

• Every week, look over the tank, bund and pipework for leaks, staining or damage, and check the sight gauge and valves.
• Every month, check the bund for rainwater (pump out clean water only and never open a drain valve), inspect drip trays under drums and bowsers, and check tank supports and foundations.
• Every year, have a professional inspect the tank for corrosion, check pipework connections and seals, and review your spill response plan.
• After storms or flooding, check for damage, displacement or contaminated bund water.

Keep a written log of all inspections. This demonstrates due diligence if you are ever investigated.

Exemptions

The following are exempt from the Oil Storage Regulations in England:

• Containers with a capacity of 200 litres or less
• Oil stored in a building (the building itself acts as secondary containment)
• Oil in wholly underground tanks (these have separate requirements)
• Waste oil already covered by an environmental permit
• Private dwellings storing 3,500 litres or less (though Building Regulations may still apply)

Even where the specific Oil Storage Regulations do not apply, you still have a general duty to prevent pollution under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. Exemption from the storage regulations does not mean you can store oil carelessly.