Total’s guilty plea on Buncefield welcomed

The FBU firefighters’ union has welcomed the announcement that Total UK has pleaded guilty to charges relating to the explosion at the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire in 2005. The explosion, which was the largest European peacetime fire, caused widespread damage and left 43 people injured.

The FBU said over a thousand firefighters from 33 fire and rescue services from across the country attended the blaze, “working together as one team in extremely arduous and hazardous conditions to put the fire out and limit the effects on the environment.”

Tony Smith, Hertfordshire FBU secretary, said “It was a miracle that no one was killed by the blast and subsequent fire and we believe it is significant today that one of the parties involved has pleaded guilty to the charges.”

Four other companies which are being prosecuted pleaded not guilty to similar charges and a trial date was provisionally fixed for 14 April 2010 at St Albans Crown Court.