The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 set out the requirements and offences regarding the safe storage of oil, including the use of fixed tanks and mobile bowsers. These regulations apply to oil stored for business purposes.
Oil must be stored and used safely, and it is your responsibility to dispose of it carefully and legally when you no longer need it. By looking after it and storing it correctly, not only are you protecting its value as an asset, but you are also protecting the environment. You must ensure that it does not pollute any sources of water including rivers, streams, lakes or the ground, which could have catastrophic environmental results.
The following types of oil are subject to the regulations:
| Type of oil | Examples, where appropriate |
| Petrol | ~ |
| Diesel | ~ |
| Biofuels | ~ |
| Kerosene | ~ |
| Vegetable oil and plant-based oils | Sunflower oil or aromatherapy oil. This includes waste cooking oil |
| Synthetic oils | Motor oil - including waste oil |
| Oils used as solvents | ~ |
| Biodegradable oils | Lubricating or hydraulic oils |
| Liquid bitumen-based products | Waterproofing or damp proofing products, or coatings for a road surface |
| Cutting fluids | Lubricants designed specifically for metalworking processes, that are made from, or contain oil as oil-water emulsions |
| Insulating oils | Used as electrical insulator and coolant |
| Waste oil | Vegetable oil, waste cooking oil or waste synthetic oil |
| Product | Examples, where appropriate |
| Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) | ~ |
| Hydrocarbon products that are solid when unheated | Bitumen |
| Solvents that are not oil based | Trichloroethylene |
| Aromatic hydrocarbons | Benzene and toluene |
| Waste mineral oils drained from vehicles, and mixtures of diesel and petrol that cannot be used as vehicle fuel | ~ |
| Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) | ~ |
| Waste oil |
N.B. For storing some types of waste oil, you will need to check if you need an environmental permit. |
