Tesco fined £8m for 'recklessly' polluting river with thousands of litres of petrol

The Environment Agency said that the leakage had resulted in homes being evacuated, residents falling ill and the death of 40 fish

More than 20,000 litres of fuel escaped from a tank at one of Tesco’s petrol stations over a 29-hour period in Haslingden, east Lancashire, in 2014 (Environment Agency)

Tesco has been fined £8m after it admitted polluting a river with thousands of litres of petrol.

More than 20,000 litres of fuel escaped from a tank at one of Tesco’s petrol stations over a 29-hour period in Haslingden, east Lancashire, in 2014, Preston Crown Court was told.

The Environment Agency said that the supermarket’s “recklessness” resulted in homes being evacuated, residents falling ill and the death of 40 fish.

The agency’s investigation found that the incident resulted from Tesco’s failure to address problems with part of the fuel delivery system and an inadequate alarm system.

Tesco pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches and the major contamination in the River Irwell. It has issued an apology and said it had taken steps to prevent similar fuel spills in the future.

Mark Easedale, environment manager for the Environment Agency, said the pollution had “a dramatically negative impact on the local community and environment”.

“The sentencing today sends out a clear message to anyone whose recklessness causes serious pollution to the environment – we will be relentless in our investigations and take action wherever needed,” he added.

County councillor Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “The fact the leak was allowed to continue for more than 24 hours undoubtedly contributed to a risk of harm to people living and working nearby, as well as emergency services attending the incident.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We sincerely regret the fuel spillage incident at our petrol station in Haslingden and we’re sorry for the impact it had on the local environment, our customers and the community.

“This was a deeply unfortunate isolated incident and one for which we have taken full responsibility.”