Residents in Powys are being urged to inspect their domestic heating oil tanks to prevent environmental damage and costly spills.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is calling on residents who use domestic heating oil to make sure that their tanks are in good state of repair.

The call comes after an increase in pollution incidents reported in the county to NRW’s incident line that were traced to leaking heating oil tanks from homes.

The main causes of these leaks include outdated single-skin tanks that have deteriorated over time, failures in below-ground pipes, incorrect filling of tanks, and lack of regular maintenance and inspections prior to tank refills.

Ann Weedy, NRW’s Operations Manager for Mid Wales said: “Homeowners who store oil have a legal responsibility to ensure their storage tanks do not cause pollution.

“Despite this, we have seen a spate of incidents caused by faulty tanks. Leaked fuel can severely damage the environment, killing plants, harming wildlife, polluting rivers, and contaminating drinking water.

“It also leads to substantial financial losses for homeowners, who may need to replace the lost oil and cover the high costs of cleaning up an oil spill.

“We may also take enforcement action where the damage is significant.”