Heating Oil Tank Leaks After a Storm: Who to Contact and What to Check

If you think your heating oil tank is leaking, act in this order: call your home insurance company or landlord and make them aware of the leak, find where it is coming from, switch off your oil supply at the tank and arrange to have it emptied if needed, try to stop the leak at the source, and block the spill from entering drains using absorbent materials such as earth or sand¹. If the leak could affect a stream, pond or other water supply, call the Environment Agency immediately².

Storm damage is often the trigger. A tank that has been knocked, flooded or shifted can leak from the tank itself or from its pipework, and the first sign may simply be a level that has fallen faster than your usage explains. If you notice a leak, damage or another problem with your tank or heating system, contact your local heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered technician³.

You do not have to diagnose the fault yourself. Your job is to stop the oil spreading, get the right people told, and keep your household safe while it is sorted out. This page sets out who to call first, what to do about water nearby, how insurance fits in, and how to tell an oil problem from a gas one.

If your heating oil tank is leaking: who to contact first

Start with your insurer or landlord, then deal with the tank itself. Official guidance is specific about the order: call your home insurance company or landlord and make them aware of the leak, find where the leak is coming from, switch off your oil supply at the tank and arrange to have it emptied if needed, try to stop the leak at the source, and block the spill from entering drains using absorbent materials such as earth or sand¹. Somerset Council gives the same first step, to call your household insurance company or landlord and make them aware of the leak².

The reason to call the insurer early is practical rather than bureaucratic. OFTEC, the Oil Firing Technical Association, recommends that anyone with a fuel tank checks with their insurers what cover they have for cleaning up an oil leak or spill⁶. Wessex Water goes further and suggests checking that your home or business insurance company is aware that you have an oil tank and that your policy covers all possible risks related to it⁷. A leak discovered after a storm is exactly the moment those questions matter.

For the physical damage, the recommendation is to contact your local UKIFDA heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered engineer if you have concerns about your oil tank or need to install a new one⁴. UKIFDA's winter campaign repeats it: if you notice a leak, damage or another problem with your tank or heating system, contact your local heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered technician³. An OFTEC registered technician should be able to carry out tank maintenance work on your behalf⁸.

Remember where the responsibility sits. UKIFDA states plainly that you are responsible for the upkeep of any oil tanks on your property to protect yourself, your home, and the environment⁴. Nobody else is checking it for you between services.

A leak near a stream, pond or water supply: call the Environment Agency immediately

Oil and water do not mix, and a spill that reaches a watercourse spreads far beyond your garden. That is why the advice changes the moment water is in reach. Northumberland Council's guidance is direct: if the leak could affect a stream, pond or other water supply, call the Environment Agency¹. Somerset Council adds the word that matters: call the Environment Agency immediately².

The number to use is the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 80 70 60, which Somerset Council gives specifically for oil pollution of a ditch, rhyne or watercourse². Cornwall Council lists the same incident hotline as 0800 80 70 60, a freephone line running 24 hours⁹. Floodline, on 0345 988 1188, is the separate number for river and tidal flooding advice⁹.

There is a second route when drinking water could be affected. The Drinking Water Inspectorate advises that you notify the environmental health team at your local council if you become aware of, or suspect, a fuel or other chemical spill or leak on your property¹⁰. If you suspect a spill or leak of fuel has occurred and you can taste petrol or fuel in your drinking water, contact your water company and local authority immediately¹¹. Wessex Water also offers an email address, heating.oil@wessexwater.co.uk, for more advice about oil storage and leaks⁷.

Your heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered engineer for tank damage

Once the immediate spill is contained and the insurer knows, the repair and inspection work belongs with the oil trade. Contact your local UKIFDA heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered engineer if you have concerns about your oil tank or need to install a new one⁴. If you notice a leak, damage or another problem with your tank or heating system, contact your local heating oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered technician³.

OFTEC registration is the marker to look for. OFTEC is the body the fire and rescue services point oil appliance owners to: the London Fire Brigade lists the Oil Firing Technical Association for oil appliances¹², and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service advises getting your heater checked by OFTEC for oil appliances¹³. OFTEC's own number is 0845 658 5080¹⁴.

The best moment to have a tank looked at is the annual boiler service. UKIFDA advises having your oil tank inspected at the same time as the boiler service: the OFTEC-registered engineer inspects overall condition, checks for water or condensation, and provides a report of observations and actions⁴. An annual inspection of your tank by a qualified OFTEC registered engineer is essential, as any water can be identified⁸. OFTEC adds that fuel tank systems should be installed and checked on a regular basis by OFTEC liquid fuel technicians, and any defects or faulty equipment identified dealt with promptly⁶.

Telling your insurance company about an oil leak

Insurance is the part households most often get wrong, usually by leaving it too late or by never checking what is covered. The first action in official leak guidance is to call your home insurance company or landlord and make them aware of the leak¹. Wessex Water lists your insurance company among the people to contact when you have an oil leak⁷.

Before anything happens, it is worth a conversation. OFTEC recommends that if you have a fuel tank at home, you check with your insurers what cover you have for cleaning up an oil leak or spill⁶. UKIFDA suggests speaking to your home insurance company about the type of cover you have and what happens in the event of a leak or overspill, and notes that the insurer may also advise on tank placement and security⁴. Wessex Water's advice is to check that your insurer is aware you have an oil tank and that your policy covers all possible risks related to it⁷.

Oil leak or gas leak: who handles each

These are two different emergencies with two different responders, and mixing them up wastes time. For a gas leak, contact National Gas¹⁶. Call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately¹⁷, on 0800 111 999⁵. If you smell gas, open doors and windows¹⁸. Northern Ireland Direct gives the same instruction to contact the Gas Emergency Service immediately¹⁹.

For an oil leak, there is no equivalent emergency line for the tank itself: the householder is responsible for the tank's upkeep⁴, and the response runs through your insurer, your oil distributor or an OFTEC-registered engineer, and the Environment Agency where water is at risk¹. If you have a leak at an LPG cylinder or its associated pipework, call the LPG supplier so they can come and make safe¹⁹.

Carbon monoxide is the third case, and it can arise from any fuel-burning appliance. Contact Cadent Gas as soon as possible on 0800 111 999²⁰. For solid fuel appliances suspected of leaking carbon monoxide, call HETAS on 0845 634 5626²¹.

Checking a tank after a storm, and before winter

After a storm, look at the tank and its pipework for damage, and check the level. The Drinking Water Inspectorate notes that if the level in the tank drops more than you would expect it to, based on your usage, this could indicate a leak¹⁰. That is the quietest sign of all, and the one most easily missed.

If flooding has been involved, there is a separate safety step. Have your gas or oil central heating checked by a qualified person before switching on the gas or trying to light any appliance¹⁵. Do not run a flooded oil boiler to see whether it still works.

Winter checks are mostly about timing. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service advises checking that you have ordered your winter heating fuel²². UKIFDA warns to allow plenty of time for your local heating oil distributor to deliver, especially in cold weather when demand can increase³. Book the annual service and tank inspection together, as UKIFDA recommends⁴, and keep the engineer's report.

Where to get help and how to prepare

Keep the numbers you might need where you can find them in the dark: the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 80 70 60², the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999⁵, and your insurer's claims line. Add your oil distributor's number and, if you have one, your OFTEC-registered engineer's.

If your heating fails while the tank is out of action, our guide to heating and cooking without mains power or gas covers keeping warm in the meantime, and keeping one room warm when the heating fails is the practical next step. For the wider picture on keeping a supply through the cold months, see heating oil tanks: keeping a supply through winter, and for the scheme that prioritises some oil-heated households, the Cold Weather Priority Scheme. Our before-winter checklist for your heating and stove puts the seasonal checks in order.

If a storm has caused wider damage, our storms, snow and ice guide and flooding guide set out what to do next. For gas and heating failures more generally, see gas and heating failures.