Buncefield firms in court

Five companies are due to appear in court today over the 2005 Buncefield Oil Storage Depot blast and fire which injured 40 people.

The companies are: Total UK, Hertfordshire Oil Storage, British Pipeline Agency, TAV Engineering and Motherwell Control Systems 2003. The prosecutions are being brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA). A plea and case-management hearing will take place today at Woolwich Crown Court in London.

All five companies face charges under the Health & Safety at Work Act, 1974, while Total UK Ltd, Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd, and British Pipeline Agency Ltd are also facing charges under the Water Resources Act 1991.

In the early hours of Sunday 11th December 2005, a number of explosions occurred at Buncefield Oil Storage Depot, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. At least one of the initial explosions was of massive proportions and there was a large fire, which engulfed a high proportion of the site. Over 40 people were injured but there were no fatalities. Significant damage occurred to both commercial and residential properties in the vicinity and a large area around the site was evacuated on emergency service advice. The fire burned for several days, destroying most of the site and emitting large clouds of black smoke into the atmosphere.