Lidl fined under F-gas leak check rules
1st September 2020
CZECH REPUBLIC: German supermarket Lidl has been fined CZK240,000 (€9,200) in the Czech Republic for breaches of leak checking requirements under the European F-gas regulation (517/2014).
The retailer was unable to provide leak checking records during air conditioning and refrigeration checks at 21 Lidl stores by agents of the Czech Environmental Inspectorate (CEI). The inspections were carried out between July and October last year.
“A total of 80 applications for leak tests were carried out in violation of the European regulation, according to which the operator must, among other things, ensure a leak test for prescribed cooling applications at least once every 6 or 12 months. He is then obliged to keep records of inspections for at least five years,” said Jan Panský, director of the regional inspectorate of the CEI in Havlíčkův Brod.
On its website, the CEI states that carrying out leak tests within the deadlines set by the F-gas regulation is one of the basic obligations of operators of applications for stationary air conditioners with refrigerant content. Any leakage detected must then be repaired as soon as possible by an authorised person and the leakage check verified to ensure the effectiveness of the repair.
Lidl did not appeal the CEI decision and the fine of CZK240,000 came into force at the end of March.
