Fawley oil refinery apologises for flares seen for miles around New Forest

FAWLEY oil refinery has apologised for flaring which could be seen for miles around the New Forest last night (Tuesday) but has remained tight-lipped about what the incident was.

Sight of flames from controlled gas burning were reported around the area, visible from near Burley and across the Solent on the Isle of Wight.

It sparked a number of calls to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service by concerned residents as an orange glow filled parts of the sky.

The issue was described on social media simply as an "operational matter" by ExxonMobil, which runs the site that is the biggest refinery in the UK.

The A&T asked Exxon this morning for details and whether there was any risk to residents, but it gave no details.

The company said: "Further to the incident during the evening of 8th November, our on-site teams safely and effectively addressed the matter.

"There were no injuries. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to local residents by the use of our flares.

"The ExxonMobil Fawley site remains operational."

Yesterday it used Twitter just after 5pm to confirm the "operational incident" and urged people to follow it for updates.

It said then: "We are currently dealing with an operational matter on site. Our teams have responded and are working to address the situation.

"Our on-site siren may be audible and is part of our procedures. Please continue to monitor Twitter for more information."

It added: "As our teams continue to address the operational incident, our flares are currently operational and will be visible to the community.

"This is part of our normal safety procedures. Please continue to monitor our account for further updates. We apologise for any disturbance."

Hampshire Fires and Rescue Service told the A&T it had been informed by ExxonMobil in advance of the flaring and did not attend.

A spokesperson added: "We did receive a number of calls from members of the public which were investigated and determined to be false alarms caused by the orange glow from the flaring."