A COMPANY has been fined after it "shopped" itself for an offence.

And the action cost Akzo Nobel £4,574 in fines and costs when the case was dealt with by Blackburn magistrates.

The court heard that the company had bought two second-hand 52,000 litre tanks from a Doncaster company, which was also in court.

When one of the tanks was installed and white spirit put in, leaks were detected in some of the welds.

This was reported to the Health and Safety Executive who subsequently prosecuted the two companies not over the spillage but because the method used for testing of one of the tanks could have caused danger of explosion.

Both companies were charged with failing to ensure the safety of operatives involved in the testing and failing to prevent over-pressurisation of a vessel.

Central Bottling International, of Doncaster, were also charged with failing to carry out a risk assessment of pneumatic testing procedures.

The firm was fined a total of £7,000 with £574 costs.