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[News] from [guardian.co.uk]

[News > UK news > Buncefield fire 2005]
Oil company Total admits Buncefield fire failingsFour years after largest explosion in peacetime Europe, company pleads
guilty to health and safety breaches
Matthew Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 13 November 2009 17.05 GMT Article history

Oil company Total UK has admitted health and safety breaches in connection with the explosion at the Buncefield oil depot that left more than 40 people injured and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.

The admission comes four years after the blast at the site in Hemel Hempstead believed to have been the largest explosion in peacetime Europe.

Today at the Old Bailey Total entered guilty pleas to two charges under the Health and Safety Act and one charge of polluting water under the Water Resources Act.

Four other companies – Hertfordshire Oil Storage, British Pipeline Agency, TAV Engineering and Motherwell Control Systems 2003 – denied breaking health and safety laws.

The explosion, which injured 43 people and forced 2,000 to flee their homes, happened when 300 tonnes of petrol leaked from a tank at the site.

A huge vapour cloud formed and ignited, sending a plume of black smoke over Hertfordshire and much of south-east England.

The blast measured 2.4 on the Richter scale and could be heard 125 miles away. Buildings on the surrounding industrial estate and some homes up to three miles from the scene had severe structural damage.

Mike Penning, the Tory MP for Hemel Hempstead, welcomed Total's admission. "I am thrilled that common sense has prevailed and that Total has pleaded guilty to the very serious charges against them."

Penning said the explosion had a devastating effect on the community.

"There are still people who are not able to go back to their homes nearly four years after the blast and there are others who remain psychologically scarred by what happened."

But he said his constituents had "reacted amazingly" in the aftermath. "I am extremely proud of how this community has pulled together. Even though we have not had the support we should have either from government or the oil companies, the collective response has been truly impressive."

In March the high court decided Total should pay the property damage bills of individual and business claimants – a decision due to be appealed against next year. Claims amounted to £750m.

At the time the judge criticised sloppy practices and inadequate risk assessment at the site and listed various reasons for the explosion, including the negligence of supervisors and a series of failures in risk assessment and prevention.

Buncefield held large stocks of oil, petrol and aviation kerosene used to supply airports across the region including Heathrow and Luton.

After the explosion an investigation by the Major Incident Investigation Board made 78 recommendations and the board's chairman, Lord Newton of Braintree, said the decision to prosecute the five companies was "an important milestone".

In its plea Total admitted exposing staff and members of the public to risk, and to allowing water below the depot to become polluted after the explosion.

The oil company is not expected to be sentenced until the trial of the other companies is completed next spring.