Tower Bridge and the River Thames on a misty morning in London
LONDON · GREATER LONDON

Fuel tank inspection, removal & cleaningacross London

Britteco inspects, cleans and removes commercial oil and fuel tanks across Greater London, from basement boiler rooms in Westminster to generator tanks in Park Royal and old diesel tanks in Bexley. We also polish stored diesel and decommission tanks that a building no longer needs.

Get a Quote →Call 0800 677 1155
OFTEC registeredISO 9001:2015CHAS accreditedBases in Banbury & Harrogate
We cover nationwideLondon work is planned from our Banbury HQ, with the same crews covering the rest of England.
Why London is different

Almost no oil heating, plenty of stored fuel

Only about one London household in 800 heats with oil alone, according to Census 2021. So the tanks we meet in the capital are rarely domestic. They sit under offices and hotels, in plant rooms, on depot yards and beside standby generators that keep servers, lifts and fire systems running.

Park Royal shows the scale. It is the UK’s largest industrial estate, with more than 1,700 businesses and around 40,000 jobs, and it produces or processes about 30% of the food eaten in London. Data centres cluster there and in Hayes and Newham, and their generator diesel can sit untouched for months, which is when water and diesel bug get a foothold.

Older buildings often still hold steel heating oil tanks in basements and vaults, long after the boilers changed fuel. Most are single-skin and reachable only by a stairwell or pavement hatch.

  • Tank inspections with written reports for landlords, insurers and facilities teams
  • Generator day tanks and bulk tanks tested, cleaned and fuel polished on site
  • Basement and vault tanks pumped out, cold cut and carried out in sections
  • Redundant diesel tanks removed from yards in Bexley and along the Thames
London work

A recent job in the capital

One of our published London case studies.

New 9,200-litre oil tank being lifted over a hedgerow by a Hiab crane in London
Case study · London

9,200-litre oil tank replacement

We replaced a 9,200-litre oil tank and laid a new underground fuel line, lifting the new tank in with a Hiab crane over a hedgerow.

View the London case study →
How we work in London

From survey to sign-off in the capital

In London, access decides most of the plan, so we sort it out before anyone loads the van.

  1. Survey and access checkWe look at the tank, the fill and vent lines and the route out of the building.
  2. Street space and timingWhere a tanker or crane needs the kerb, we work to the client’s and the council’s rules on bays and hours. Early starts and weekend slots keep offices and shops trading.
  3. Pump out, clean or cutFuel, water and sludge go into our tanker for transfer or disposal. Tanks coming out are de-gassed and cold cut, so no flame or sparks are used inside occupied buildings.
  4. Paperwork and handoverYou receive the inspection report, waste transfer or consignment notes and, when a tank leaves site, a certificate of disposal.
Services in London

What London sites ask us for

Listed roughly in the order London customers need them.

Tank inspectionsCondition inspections of fuel tanks, bunds and pipework, with a report you can hand to an auditor or insurer.Explore the service → Ultrasonic thickness testingUltrasonic thickness tests on older steel tanks in basements and plant rooms, measuring wall loss without draining the fuel.Explore the service → Fuel polishingOn-site fuel polishing for generator diesel that has picked up water, sediment or diesel bug while waiting for a power cut.Explore the service → Tank cleaningCleaning of heating oil and diesel tanks to clear sludge before it blocks filters and burners.Explore the service → Tank removal & cold cuttingRemoval of redundant tanks by cold cutting, including old diesel tanks on yards in Bexley and east London.Explore the service → Tank decommissioningDecommissioning of tanks that cannot be lifted out, with degassing certificates for the building file.Explore the service → Decommissioning & foam fillingFoam filling for tanks trapped under floors, pavements or later extensions, so they can stay put safely.Explore the service → Waste oil disposalCollection of waste oil, contaminated fuel and oily water, with the right note for every load.Explore the service → Emergency fuel deliveryEmergency diesel or heating oil delivery to keep a generator or boiler going when stock runs low.Explore the service →

Run out of heating oil or diesel in Greater London?

24/7 emergency heating oil, kerosene and diesel delivery from 100 litres, including nights, weekends and bank holidays.

Emergency oil delivery0800 677 1155
Rules & local risks

Oil storage in a tidal city

Two Environment Agency areas cover the capital: Hertfordshire and North London north of the river, and Kent and South London to the south. North of the river, the Lee, Roding and Ingrebourne carry surface water to the Thames, so oil in a yard gully travels fast.

The Thames Barrier and the estuary defences protect about 125 square kilometres of central London, around 1.42 million residents and 116 rail and tube stations from tidal surges, and the barrier has closed 221 times in 40 years. For basement and riverside tanks that means sound bunds, level alarms and a flood plan that covers the fuel as well as the building.

Any business storing more than 201 litres of oil falls under the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001. The tank needs a bund holding at least 110% of its contents, with fill points and sight gauges inside it. Our OFTEC-registered engineers check each installation against the regulations and GPP2 guidance, and every job closes with the waste and disposal paperwork.

Boroughs we cover

Where we work across London

We cover all of Greater London, including these boroughs and districts.

  • Bexley
  • Erith
  • Belvedere
  • Park Royal
  • Hayes
  • Ealing
  • Newham
  • Barking and Dagenham
  • Greenwich
  • Enfield
  • Croydon
  • Westminster
Questions

London tank questions

Do you carry out tank inspections in London?

Yes. The engineer checks the tank, bund, pipework and fittings, and can add ultrasonic thickness testing on steel tanks. You get a written report with photos and plain recommendations.

Can you remove a diesel tank in Bexley or elsewhere in south-east London?

Yes. We pump out what is left, clean and de-gas the tank, then cold cut it if it cannot be lifted out whole. Erith, Belvedere and Crayford are all regular ground for us.

Our generator diesel has sat for years. Is it still usable?

Often it is, once it has been tested and cleaned. Stored diesel collects condensation, and the water layer feeds diesel bug, which clogs filters just when the generator is needed. Fuel polishing strips out water and sediment on site, and a tank clean deals with sludge that polishing cannot reach.

How do you get a tank out of a basement?

We drain and de-gas it first, then cold cut it into sections small enough to carry up the stairs or out through a hatch. No hot work is involved, which matters in occupied buildings. Where a tank cannot be removed at all, we decommission and foam fill it in place.

Can one contractor cover our London and South East sites?

Yes. Facilities teams often manage buildings inside and outside the M25, and we can schedule them as one programme from Banbury.

Nearby areas

Areas around London

We also work in the counties around the M25.

HertfordshireEssexKentSurreyBerkshireBuckinghamshire

Book a London tank inspection or removal

Send us photos of the tank and the way in, and we will come back with a plan and a date. For a leak or a generator about to run dry, call 0800 677 1155.

Request a quote →Call 0800 677 1155
Call 24/7 Get a Quote