Petrol station spill sparks emergency

Firefighters wash away petrol at the Caltex station at the corner of Savill Drive and Massey Rd near Middlemore. Picture / Greg Bowker

Hundreds of dollars of spilled petrol nearly went down the drain near Middlemore last night.

The Fire Service was called to the Caltex station at the corner of Massey Rd and Savill Drive just before 8.30pm following reports that up to 2600 litres of fuel had been spilled on the site, which is close to several waterways.

Four fire engines and a foam tender were sent to the petrol station as a precaution.

St John Ambulance was on standby and the police kept the public away. A Manukau City Council spokeswoman said Occupational Safety and Health, city and regional council representatives were also there.

A Fire Service communications centre shift manager said officers at the scene later calculated the spill at between 500 and 1000 litres.

None appeared to have gone down the drains.

A Caltex spokeswoman said the amount was only 200 litres and it was an overflow, not a spill.

It occurred because a tanker driver overfilled an underground storage tank.

She said the spill was fully contained on the site and that no fuel entered drains or the environment.