Tesco Stores has accepted an £8m penalty after pleading guilty to a major pollution incident, which saw 23,500 litres of petrol leak in to a Lancashire sewerage system and rivers.
£5m of the fine was levied for failings under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR).
The leak came from a filling tank at the retailer’s petrol station in Haslingden, north of Manchester, and was allowed to continue for more than 24 hours.
Local residents had to seek medical help after petrol odours drifting up from the sewer network gave them headaches and nausea. Residents living up to 1 km away were affected by the leak and the smell remained in homes for a number of days.
The joint EA and Lancashire County Council investigation linked the incident to Tesco’s failure to resolve a known problem with the fuel delivery system and an inadequate alarm system.
The retail giant’s poor emergency procedures also contributed to the incident, which sparked a multi-agency operation involving the EA, Lancashire County Council, United Utilities, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Lancashire Police.
The court heard that 23,500 litres of unleaded petrol flowed from the tank over a 29-hour period between 2-3 July 2014. Some 7,000 litres were recovered at the site and the remainder spilled into the sewer system and watercourse.
The retailer pleaded guilty to two charges including breach of reg 6(8) of DSEAR 2002.
Tesco Stores was ordered to pay £5m for the larger health and safety offence and £3m for the environmental offence. The retailer also had to pay costs of £22,000 to the council and £35,434 to the government agency.
