Following a major chemical fire, the Preston Crown Court slapped a fine of £150,000 on the international waste management company, Veolia ES Cleanaway (UK) Ltd, for breaching health and safety regulations. The company is also liable to pay cost of £90,000.
A major fire had broken out on the company’s site at the Red Scar Industrial Estate on July 2, 2007, resulting in the shutting down of two motorways for several hours. Nearly 132,000 litres of chemicals were set ablaze in the fire.
The prosecution came about after an investigation done jointly by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Environmental Agency and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
“Our investigation showed that Veolia didn’t do enough to make sure that the dangerous chemicals on its site in Preston were stored safely,” said Linda Murray, HSE Principal Inspector for Lancashire.
Kevin Lodge, Investigation Officer at the Environment Agency, said, “This was a serious incident which had the potential to cause long-term environmental damage, as well as posing a risk to staff and members of the public.”
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