FIREFIGHTERS worked with Environment Agency officials to stop kerosene from a leaking storage tank at a fuel distribution depot polluting nearby watercourses.

The alarm was raised at Nigel Collison Fuels, Station Road, Hartley, near Cranbrook, at 6.15am on Tuesday after kerosene began escaping from a fractured bulk storage tank with a capacity of 120,000 litres.

Firefighters from Cranbrook and Ashford wore chemical protection suits and breathing apparatus as they dealt with the incident.

Members of an incident support unit from Ashford also attended. They helped decant the fuel from the tank into two other tanker lorries and then dug an earth dam to prevent the spillage entering the watercourse.

The quantity of fuel lost at this stage is unknown.

The Environment Agency said Kent Fire and Rescue Service’s swift response to the incident meant only a 300 metre section of a nearby small stream, a tributary of the River Teise, was contaminated.

Agency officer James Hamilton, who attended the incident, said: “Leaking oil can have a devastating impact on the environment.

“Due to the prompt action by the emergency services the situation was quickly contained and a potentially devastating environmental incident was avoided.”

Firefighters remained at the depot for several hours and the Environment Agency is continuing to monitor the site and oversee the clear up work.

The Agency will be investigating the cause of the leak.