16/07/2010

By Graham Buck

Five companies have collectively been fined more than £9 million for their part in the Buncefield oil depot explosion in December 2005.

The blast injured 40 people, destroyed homes and affected nearly 100 local businesses. The resulting blaze was the largest in Europe since World War II.

A judge at St Albans Crown Court imposed a £3.6 million fine in Total UK, a division of the French oil group, and will pay a further £2.6 million in legal costs.

Total UK had already pleaded guilty to three charges last November. It admitted breacing the Health and Safety at Work Act in failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees and members of the public and permitting fuel and firewater chemicals to enter groundwater close to Buncefield.

Hertfordshire Oil Storage, which was owned by Total and Texaco at the time, was fined £1.45 million plus £1 million costs. It was found guilty of failing to take necessary measures to prevent major accidents and also pleaded guilty to a charge of allowing polluting matter to enter into nearby groundwater.

British Pipeline Agency, owned by Shell and BP, pleaded guilty to charges of failing to take measures necessary to prevent major accidents and causing pollution to enter into controlled waters. It was fined £300,000 plus £480,000 costs.

Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning said he was “deeply disappointed” by the level of fines and would ask Attorney General Dominic Grieve to assess whether they were too lenient.

"None of this money will compensate my constituents who are still waiting for compensation for having their businesses, lives, homes and health destroyed by an industrial disaster which should never have happened and was obviously completely preventable,” he added.

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