Airport assures civic chiefs major fuel spill ‘won’t happen again’

A fuel spill like the 3,000 litre one which happened at Gloucestershire Airport last year will not happen again, council chiefs have been assured.

Civic chiefs in Cheltenham raised questions this week about the incident which took place on May 27, 2022.

The airport is jointly owned by Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council and councillors say the airport authorities have since put in place a number of actions to prevent a similar situation occurring.

The incident occurred around 7.45am on May 27 an operative arrived on site at the Gloucestershire Airport tank farm to make a delivery of 38,000 litres of JET 34 Fuel.

During the process of delivering fuel the operative believed that the product was not being pumped correctly and therefore tried to trouble shoot however he noticed the product on the floor, and then fuel gushing over the sides of the top of the trailer’s tank.

At this point, the operative stopped the pump immediately and it was also at this point the airport’s refueller noticed the spill and called for the airport fire service to attend.

Airport authorities believe the spill was around 3,000 litres which was contained by the site and reached as far as the interceptor.

The Environment Agency and water company attended and confirmed that no product had reached the water course.

At first the airport’s internal fire brigade arrived on the scene, who then called for the external fire service to assist in the clean-up operation after laying a foam blanket.

Speaking at the council meeting on March 13, Councillor Tabi Joy (G, St Pauls) asked council leaders if they have received adequate reassurance that the Gloucestershire Airport fuel spill of May 2022 will not be repeated.

She also asked what specific mitigations have been put in place by Cheltenham Borough Council following the investigation of the incident?

Cyber, regeneration and commercial income cabinet member Mike Collins (LD, Benhall and the Reddings) said: “Airport authorities have since put in place a number of actions to prevent a similar situation occurring.

“They have modified all aviation trailers to ensure that pumps will only operate in the forward direction. A re-training program on ‘pump-off’ deliveries has been put in place for operatives.

“Procedures for pumped aviation deliveries has been updated to ensure clarity on pump and direction test to be carried out before hoses are flooded. Investigating the possibility of fitting a non-return valve to the pipework of the receiving a tank.”

Council leaders say these actions provide adequate reassurance that the Gloucestershire Airport fuel spill of May 2022 will not be repeated.

A Gloucestershire Airport spokesperson said: “The Environment Agency confirmed within 45 minutes that the interceptor on the drain had ensured that the spillage had been wholly contained within the drain, preventing any contamination of the nearby brook.

“The fuel delivery company accepted full liability for the incident and the delivery driver was immediately relieved of refuelling duties pending successful completion of a re-training programme.

“Together with the fuel delivery company, we also conducted our own comprehensive investigation of the incident.

“This included a full analysis of the driver’s training records, the company’s pumping procedures, the tanker’s maintenance records, what mechanical work had recently been carried out on the tanker, and the experience of the mechanic who completed the work.”

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk