No depot reopening before tests

The depot fire blazed for days after the initial explosions

The owners of the Buncefield oil depot, destroyed in an explosion and fire last December, must go through new legal procedures before reopening the site.

The two firms managing the fuel storage depot at Hemel Hempstead must also satisfy planners and agencies that their procedures are low risk.

Work is due to start shortly to dismantle tanks and equipment as part of a clean-up of the site.

Hertfordshire Oil Storage and British Pipeline Agency manage the site.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency said the oil industry's regulatory authorities and their own officers will need to be satisfied that suitable measures are in place to control future risks if the site is to handle fuels again.

Investigation continues

Dacorum Borough Council will also require details of all potential works before any planning applications can be contemplated.

To date, none of the relevant authorities have been notified of any plans for the site.

On the separate BP depot, which was not part of the investigation site, some repairs have been carried out so that fuel stored since the incident can be removed to allow further inspection of the tanks.

All the physical evidence required for forensic examination has been taken to HSE laboratories in Buxton, Derbyshire.

Investigation manager Taf Powell said: "Remaining inquiries are now concentrated on a few limited areas of the site, and are primarily concerned with how the storage bunds around the tanks performed in retaining the escaped fuel and firewater during the incident.

"Evidence gathering activity on-site is now reducing, but the overall investigation continues to pursue all reasonable lines of inquiry."