Regulator records from 2023 and 2024 show that Stanlow, one of the United Kingdom's largest oil refineries, went over its permitted chemical-discharge limits hundreds of times.
The events involved releases of cyanide, benzene, sulphur dioxide, and oil into the air and waterways connected to the Mersey Estuary.
Here's what to know
At Stanlow — one of just four refineries still operating in the U.K. — roughly 10 million tonnes of crude are processed each year, supplying about 18% of the country's road fuel, the BBC reported. Documents obtained by SourceMaterial described 58 breaches of EET Fuels' permit conditions at the Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, site across 2023 and 2024. The Environment Agency said it was investigating.
Some of those breaches were far above the allowed thresholds. Sulphur dioxide reached seven times its air-release cap, cyanide exceeded waterway limits by more than eightfold, and oil went beyond the permitted level by more than 13 times.
On Sept. 12, 2024, the refinery released over a tonne of oil into Thornton Brook, from where it reached the Mersey Estuary. EET reported the spill, but the company did not provide a volume estimate for almost two weeks, even though the rules require one within 24 hours, the BBC said.
More background
Because those waterways flow into the Mersey Estuary, the pollution reached an area protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
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"Species like dunlin, black-tailed godwit, and redshank will travel all around the world to feed and roost in the land around the River Mersey," Charlotte Harris, chief executive of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, told the BBC.
The harm was not limited to wildlife habitat. In July 2023, oil-tainted rainwater escaped the site; the Environment Agency called the episode "significant" after receiving odor complaints, and follow-up findings indicated groundwater contamination.
The September 2024 spill also had economic consequences. Officials shut the estuary's cockle beds for five weeks as the Food Standards Agency carried out water-quality checks, according to the BBC.
"The incident led to a delay in the fishers being able to derive an income from the bed," Mark Taylor, CEO of the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority North West, told the BBC.
What's being done?
Following the September 2024 spill, agencies including the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Fisheries Authority, and port authorities mounted an emergency response. Officials deployed a floating boom, and drone footage showed oil stretching for over a mile along the river.
The agency opened a separate criminal investigation into the September 2024 spill that is still underway. It also said it had not yet determined its response to the 2023 offenses outlined in the documents.
Natural England launched a separate inquiry but ended it, saying the damage to the protected site was limited. Internal emails cited by the BBC indicated the regulator also took the view that the refinery permit imposed no cap on oil released via the storm overflow, while questions about permit compliance remained with the Environment Agency.
EET Fuels said it "takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously" and told the BBC that over £24 million ($31.7 million) has gone into wastewater works. The company added that its Environment Agency score improved from F in 2023 to E in 2024 after major projects entered service. It is also due to be sentenced over 12 earlier environmental law charges tied to 2018-20 breaches.
"So when a business does impact a river like this, it is absolutely vital that they're held to account," Harris told the BBC. "But going further than that, it shouldn't be happening in the first place. We really do need to get a grip of how we treat our river systems."
Where can I learn more?
These stories examine other cases wherein oil, gas, and fuel pollution drew public concern or regulatory scrutiny.
• In Channelview, Texas, residents fought a refinery expansion plan they feared would raise pollution risks.
• In South London, authorities warned the public after a diesel spill contaminated the River Wandle.
• In Colorado, new rules made oil and gas companies confront methane leaking into the air.
• Across the industry, oil and gas pollution was tied to asthma and premature deaths.
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