HOMEOWNERS in Shropshire are being warned of the dangers of heating oil tanks following the appearance of one on daytime TV.

The warning has come from OFTEC, the registration body for off-grid heating, after an episode of BBC’s Jay Blades’ Home Fix featured a dangerous DIY job close to an oil tank.

The episode, which aired on Thursday, June 4, shows a DIY expert demonstrating how to build a wooden fence around a garden oil tank.

According to OFTEC though, the tank had not been installed in line with building regulations, and the fence was not constructed to British standards guidelines for screenings.

Under Regional Building Regulations, oil tanks must be professionally installed to minimise the risk of pollution from potential fuel spills, and of a fire from a nearby source spreading to a tank.

OFTEC, which has contacted the BBC directly on the matter, is extremely concerned that the guidelines were not complied with or mentioned.

Speaking to households in Shropshire, Malcolm Farrow from OFTEC, said the dangers of incorrectly installing heating oil tanks were obvious.

“Oil heating systems have an excellent safety record," said Mr Farrow.

"However, Building Regulations and British Standards guidelines are in place for a reason and there is a clear risk that the programme could encourage people to place tanks too close to their home, or fit non-compliant screens around their oil tanks, with obvious dangers arising from this.

“In the case shown in the programme, the minimum distance for an oil tank to a solid structure has not been met and so compromises the requirement to provide adequate access to the tank for general inspection.

"This increases the risk of a pollution incident as, if there were a leak, it could go undetected.

“The potential risk of a fire spreading to the tank has also been greatly increased by using a combustible material like timber so close to the tank.”