New fire-fighting kit 'could help protect water quality'

Swift action by firefighters can prevent the escape of hazardous liquids into the environment, thereby protecting water quality and wildlife, one environmental expert has asserted.

Environment Agency management team leader David Shrimpton said that new pop-up pools will help firefighters catch problematic fuel leakages at road accidents and other incidents more easily.

His comments follow the agency's purchase of a £2,300 kit aimed at allowing the Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service to tackle fuel pollution more promptly by containing chemical leaks and spillages on the road and in domestic and commercial premises.

Each of the 40 pools has a capacity of 130 litres and can easily slide under vehicles to catch leaking fuel or to be used for pipes and static tanks.

Divided into eight regions, the Environment Agency serves the southern, Thames, south-west, midlands, Anglia, Wales, north-west and north-east regions of the UK.

Written by Lauren Steadman