Environmental guidance for your business in Northern Ireland & Scotland
Oil spills account for one quarter of all pollution incidents in the UK. Leaks from oil containers are often caused by inadequate storage facilities and equipment, and poor maintenance and operation.
Oil includes petrol, diesel, central-heating oil, mineral and synthetic oils, vegetable and plant oils, heavy oils such as liquid bitumen, oil-based solvents such as kerosene, and waste oil.
If oil from your site enters the ground, surface water or groundwater you could be prosecuted for causing pollution and have to pay a fine. You could also have to pay substantial clean up costs.
This guide covers the legal requirements and sets out good practice for businesses that store oil. It explains how to store oil to reduce the risk of pollution, gives information on maintaining your oil containers and explains what to do if an oil spill occurs.
NIEA Helpline 0845 302 0008
SEPA Helpline 01786 457 700
NIEA and SEPA Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60
Additional resources
Who do oil storage control apply to?
Read about who the regulations on Oil Storage apply to
Where to locate your oil storage container
Read about where to locate your oil or fuel storage container
Requirements for your oil storage container
Read about how your oil storage needs to be constructed
Secondary containment systems (Bunding)
Read about secondary containment or bunding for oil storage containers
Pipework and fittings
To comply with the Regulations on Oil Storage you must ensure all pipework, above and below ground, is correctly positioned and properly maintained.
Read about pipework and fittings for oil storage
Mobile bowsers
Read about using mobile bowsers for oil and fuel
Maintaining your oil storage containers
Read about maintaining your oil storage containers
Prevent pollution: dealing with oil spills
Read about preventing pollution from spills
Oil storage - further information
Oil storage environmental legislation
This page provides links to the full text of key pieces of environmental legislation relating to oil storage.
Whats new on NetRegs
-
EU Exit
EU Exit updates: Northern Ireland DAERA Brexit news, Scotland SEPA Supporting Scottish businesses with EU exit
-
Waste – Duty of Care Roles and Responsibilities
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has published a short guide to the duty of care responsibilities including advice and information for waste producers, carriers and those accepting, storing and treating waste.
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/waste-duty-care-responsibilities
-
NetRegs:- FREE, ANONYMOUS, PLAIN ENGLISH GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESSES
-
EIA (Agriculture) Regulations for Northern Ireland
Any person intending to alter the use or management of areas of uncultivated or semi-natural land must obtain prior approval from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Read more on the DAERA website
-
Guidance from your environmental regulator
-
9 NEW GPPs (Guidance for Pollution Prevention) available now
The NetRegs team at SEPA, in partnership with The Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and a number of industry bodies have produced 9 new GPPs to replace out of date PPGs. More are coming! Check the available topics
-
New guidance
New guidance for Start-ups, charities and community projects
http://www.netregs.org.uk/environmental-topics/environmental-management/first-steps-guidance-for-new-starts-projects-and-charities/
NetRegs on 
View our latest videos & subscribe to our channel.
NetRegs Update Newsletter
Free monthly email newsletter with environmental updates for Northern Ireland and Scotland