22-03-05
A clean-up operation has begun after more than 10,000 litres of diesel
escaped into the River Almond, endangering birds and fish. The spill, the worst
to hit the river in decades, was caused by a break-in to a road transport depot
in Broxburn, West Lothian.
The thief was trying to siphon fuel from a tank but was thought to have been
disturbed and ran off, leaving the valve open. When the leakage was discovered,
an estimated 10,000 litres of diesel had already escaped into the Broxburn, a
tributary of the Almond. It is understood to have been the worse case of
pollution in the river, which enters the Forth at Cramond, in more than 30
years.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said:
"The diesel escaped from a road transport depot at East Mains Industrial
Estate in Broxburn. There was a break-in, someone had brought their own pump and
was trying to siphon off diesel.”
"It appears they were disturbed and ran off, leaving the valve open. The
leakage was spotted at about 2 pm when a routine inspection of the site was
carried out. We were then made aware of it and the company, Vitrans, have
employed a pollution clean-up firm to begin clearing up the spill. We don't know
the exact quantity but it looks like being in excess of 10,000 litres of
diesel.”
"The problem with diesel is that it's very hard to clean up and a lot of it
has stuck to the river banks and that's very complicated to deal with. Our
officers have been down there and identified the spill. As yet there has been no
sign of fish or bird kills but it has posed a threat to the environment."
Police are hunting the person responsible and Sepa is investigating the
incident. It is understood Vitrans is not facing prosecution as it has taken
immediate action to deal with the pollution. The Sepa spokeswoman said it was
not known how long it would take for the diesel to clear.
"A lot of it depends on the weather. If it rains over the next few days
then that will help. A lot of the diesel will have already been washed out to
sea."
The spillage was first noticed by riverside residents in Cramond and was
still covering the water at the beauty spot earlier.
Dr Barry Smith, 55, a former senior lecturer at Cramond Campus whose house
overlooks the river, said: "I have lived here for 25 years and this is
easily the worst oil pollution I have witnessed."
Linda Imrie, of Braepark Road in Barnton, noticed the spillage walking her
dog.
Ms Imrie, who owns a property management company, said: "I could smell it;
it was really pungent and strong, I could see it floating on top of the water.
It is very bad down there, it covered about a third of the river and even though
there was less as I walked down, it was still there.”
"Swans and ducks swim around in the water, but I didn't see any affected by
the diesel. It is disgusting; this is a picturesque area."
A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "We would appeal for any
witnesses who may have seen or heard anything suspicious on the estate in
Broxburn. It appears that a stolen Daf van was being used to transfer diesel
from one of the industrial units when the suspect fled.”
"It may have been that they were disturbed, but the result was that the
diesel pump was left running and the diesel spilled into the yard and into a
nearby burn."
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it was also
investigating the diesel spillage.
Kara Brydson, head of marine policy at the RSPB, said: "This highlights the
real importance of anyone working with diesel or oil to secure it properly and
safely.”
"It can have devastating effects on rivers, coasts and birds. Preventing
these spills is much more preferable than dealing with the consequences."
The Almond is 30 miles long and mostly lies in West Lothian, although its
source is in North Lanarkshire.
Last September, an investigation was launched into the illegal dumping of a
powerful washing-up liquid into the Almond. Scottish Water chiefs said the
industrial-strength detergent was "recklessly sluiced" down drains.
The incident came after a five-year clean-up transformed what was once
Scotland's most polluted river.
Source: Scotsman