Removal & Decommissioning
Oil Tank Removal & Cold CuttingUnderground Tank RemovalsTank DecommissioningDecommissioning & Foam FillingPlant & Machinery RemovalWaste Oil DisposalInstall, Clean & Maintain
Commercial Fuel Tank InstallationOil & Fuel Tank CleaningFuel PolishingOil Tank InspectionsUltrasonic Thickness TestingOil Tank RefurbishmentEnvironmental Services View all services →
Britteco works on commercial fuel and oil tanks across Devon, from dairy farms near Tiverton and Okehampton to port and industrial sites in Plymouth and Exeter. We clean contaminated tanks, inspect bunds near the county’s rivers, and remove or decommission tanks that are no longer needed.
Devon produces more milk than any other UK county, and dairy farms run on fuel. Tractors, feeders and generators take red diesel from farm tanks, while farmhouses and outbuildings often heat with kerosene. In the Devon County Council area, 10.1% of households used oil as their only heating fuel at the 2021 Census.
The county’s larger fuel stores sit along the coast and main roads. Devonport naval base and the port at Plymouth, Exeter airport and the fishing harbour at Brixham all keep significant volumes of fuel on site. Hauliers and contractors across the county add depot tanks and bowsers to the mix.
On farms, the usual problems are water in the tank, diesel bug from fuel that sits too long between seasons, and old single-skin tanks that no longer meet the rules. Nearer the coast, corrosion becomes the bigger worry. We deal with both, and we plan around milking times and harvest so the farm keeps working.
Most Devon jobs are on sites that cannot stop, so we plan around your routine.
Ordered by how often Devon sites need them.
Run out of heating oil or diesel in Devon?
24/7 emergency heating oil, kerosene and diesel delivery from 100 litres, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Devon sits in the Environment Agency area it shares with Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The Exe, Tamar, Dart and Teign drain much of the county’s farmland, and plenty of farm tanks sit in yards that slope towards a ditch or stream. A split tank or an overfilled bund in that position can pollute a river within hours.
Commercial sites holding more than 201 litres of oil must follow the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001, which call for a bund or integral secondary containment of at least 110% of the tank’s capacity. Farm fuel stores, mobile bowsers and IBCs are included. GPP2 guidance adds advice on keeping tanks away from drains and watercourses.
We document everything we take off site. Waste Transfer or Consignment Notes cover fuel and sludge, and a Certificate of Disposal or degassing certificate covers the tank itself.
We visit sites across the county, inland and on the coast.
That is usually water and diesel bug building up in the tank. We remove the sludge and water, clean the tank and, if the fuel is worth keeping, polish it back to usable condition.
Yes. Farm fuel is commercial storage, so anything over 201 litres needs secondary containment holding at least 110% of the tank. A single-skin tank in a farmyard will not meet that standard.
It increases the risk if anything leaks, so the bund and fittings need to be in good order. We can inspect the tank and advise whether it needs repair, relocation or replacement.
If the tank can be lifted out safely, removal is usually the cleanest option. Where it is built in, buried or under a structure, decommissioning with foam or sand fill makes it safe in place.
We look at your photos and tank details first, then book Devon work for a set date so the crew arrives with everything the job needs. If machinery or heating is about to run dry, gas oil and heating oil can be delivered 24/7.
We also cover the counties on Devon’s borders.
Tell us what the tank holds and what is going wrong, and we will plan a visit around your working day.
