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Caterpillar fined for diesel spill into Irish Sea

Caterpillar had previously apologised for causing the spill
Caterpillar had previously apologised for causing the spill Caterpillar had previously apologised for causing the spill

CATERPILLAR was fined £7,500 yesterday for discharging more than 40,000 litres of diesel into the Irish Sea at Larne.

The company pleaded guilty at Antrim Crown Court over the spillage, which happened in June 2016.

The diesel had leaked into a storm drain at its plant on Old Glenarm Road and created a huge slick in the sea that spread across several miles.

Caterpillar had previously apologised for causing the spill and said it had reported the incident when it was discovered.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) found that the spillage had happened in the late afternoon of Friday June 10.

A system failure led to diesel overflowing from storage tanks onto the factory floor, entering a drainage system and being discharged into the Irish Sea.

The judge heard that Caterpillar had added more 'fail-safes' to their fuel systems to reduce the risk of similar incidents in future.