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If you drive down the Purley Way today, it’s easy to see it as a stretch of retail parks.
Underneath the car parks of the furniture stores, there’s a much older story. This area was once the heart of Croydon’s heavy industry, home to massive gas works and power stations.
While the surroundings have changed, the legacy of that industrial past remains in the soil. Even now, with light industrial units still operating behind the retail frontage, small-scale spills are a constant worry. These incidents have a cumulative effect on the health of the borough.
We’ll walk you through it and how it all works.
The history of industrial Croydon
The development of the Purley Way was tied to the Croydon B Power Station and the nearby gas works. When you have decades of heavy machinery in one spot, you’re inevitably going to deal with ground contamination.
Pollutants like phenols and heavy metals seeped into the earth long before modern environmental laws were in place. These substances can become trapped in the alluvial gravels that sit above the London Clay in the Wandle Valley. Developers often find pockets of contamination when starting new projects in the area today.
The upper ground here consists of river gravels and alluvium, which are relatively permeable. This means historical pollutants can migrate through the soil and potentially reach the groundwater or the River Wandle, which runs in a culvert directly beneath the Purley Way.
This affects how new buildings are designed and how current businesses manage their land instead of leaving it to chance. It’s a reminder that the industrial history of south London is still present just beneath the surface. Ensuring that new developments account for these historical risks is a standard part of the planning process in this part of the borough.
How specialist remediation works
When a spill happens, the clock starts ticking immediately. Oil and chemicals travel through concrete and soil faster than you might think. It is worth pointing out that washing a spill away with a hose is one of the worst things you can do. Using water just spreads the contamination further and can wash chemicals straight into the surface water drains.
For larger incidents where oil has soaked into the ground, you’ll often need professional help.
Hiring specialists, like ICE Cleaning services, ensures that the remediation is done to the standard that the Environment Agency requires. These teams have the equipment to handle chemical spills without making the situation worse. They’ll remove the top layer of contaminated soil and treat the area to prevent long-term damage.
It’s usually better to bring in experts early because the cost of a professional cleanup is almost always lower than the fines for polluting a watercourse. Taking swift action prevents the pollution from reaching the groundwater or the nearby River Wandle.
Complying with oil storage rules
Businesses in industrial pockets like those off Mill Lane have to follow strict rules. Oil storage regulations apply to any business storing more than 201 litres above ground. This is a legal requirement for all local sites. You’ll need to make sure your storage has secondary containment, which usually means a bund or a drip tray. The Environment Agency is clear that bunds must be able to hold 110% of the tank’s capacity.
This extra capacity provides a safety margin to accommodate the full contents of the tank, plus any additional volume from rainwater, overfilling, or the dynamic movement of liquid during a catastrophic failure.
If you’re running a workshop on Purley Way, you’ll need to check your bunds regularly for cracks. Ignoring a small leak in a secondary containment unit is a quick way to end up with a much larger problem if the main tank fails. Keeping these units clean and free from rainwater is a simple but effective way to maintain compliance.
Environment agency enforcement
The Environment Agency doesn’t take pollution lightly in south London. They have the power to serve notices that legally require a business to fix any inadequate facilities.
Recent enforcement data shows the agency is increasingly focused on industrial pollution, with fines often reaching into the thousands of pounds. These penalties aim to ensure the River Wandle remains clean.
You should consider the following steps to keep your site compliant:
- Perform weekly inspections on all storage tanks
- Ensure all staff receive spill kit training
- Keep a record of all maintenance
- Verify that your bunds are watertight
- Check that drainage plans are correct.
Managing an industrial site on Purley Way comes with specific environmental responsibilities. The combination of historical contamination and modern risks means you can’t be complacent. Regular maintenance and a clear plan for leaks will save trouble in the long run.
By staying informed and knowing when to call in professionals, you’ll keep your business running smoothly while protecting Croydon’s local environment. To ensure safety check all onsite drainage systems as well as checking for visible staining which indicates that there is oil present and needs to be removed.
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About insidecroydon
News, views and analysis about the people of Croydon, their lives and political times in the diverse and most-populated borough in London.
Based in Croydon and edited by Steven Downes. To contact us, please email inside.croydon@btinternet.com