KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it has taken steps to have a Westmoreland-based warehouse operator remediate areas around the business establishment contaminated by oil.

In a release, NEPA stated that upon learning of the oil contamination, it served the operators of Batteries and Accessories Warehouse Limited — located on Great George Street in Savanna-la-Mar — with a site warning notice and subsequently with an enforcement notice requiring the establishment to take steps to address the matter.

The oil spill is suspected to have flowed from the warehouse after it was engulfed in flames earlier in the year. The warehouse stored items such as engine oil, gear oil, lubricants and batteries and the escaped oil was said to have ended up in a nearby drain.

The presence of the oil was not immediately detected and was only evident when the area began experiencing constant rainfall, which caused the drain to overflow and the oil to seep onto the surface, NEPA said.

The environment protection agency said it is currently finalising its investigation and is working with the business operator and residents of the affected areas to resolve the challenges.

In the meantime, the agency has referred the matter to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).