Exxon Mobil apologise after loud bang at Fawley oil refinery frightened residents and caused homes to shake

EXXON Mobil has apologised after a loud bang at Fawley oil refinery, sparking fears of an explosion.

The boom on Friday evening was heard for miles around, shocking residents who took to social media to say their homes had been shaken.

Now local councillors are seeking meetings with refinery bosses for reassurance, following another incident there in November last year in which a structure is thought to have collapsed.

Police said they had attended the scene on Friday immediately and been reassured by the refinery that there was "no concern to the public".

Hardley fire station also said it was "on standby".

Exxon Mobil Fawley issued a statement just after 10pm apologising to local residents for any concern caused.

"Our operations remain safe and are continuing as normal," the company stated.

Within the hour it added that the cause of the bang was a "sudden release from a line in air service on a unit already shut down for maintenance".

It promised: "There was no risk to communities, there have been no injuries and operations are continuing as normal.

"Safety is our top priority and we are therefore investigating the root cause in order to learn from what happened. We have also informed the Health and Safety Executive."

However, the response failed to reassure some residents, who said the incident was being "underplayed".

One wrote on social media: "An understated message doesn't offer much comfort."

Another said: "How can we be understanding when we are not kept informed? Anodyne statements about 'noise' and 'safe operations' do not convince when you have heard a big bang that shook the windows."

Speaking after the incident, Fawley Parish Council chair Cllr Alan Alvey said members were "very concerned" about the incident, pointing out it had not been long since a structure collapse at the refinery.

"We note the information from Exxon that this noise was caused by an escape of air. However, we are clearly aware of how loud the bang was as it shook homes," he said.

"We are seeking further information from environmental health at New Forest District Council and we will be inviting the refinery to address the council and take questions at the April council meeting."

Sir Julian Lewis, MP for New Forest East, said he had been contacted by a spokesperson from Exxon Mobil the following morning to reassure him that "despite its volume, this was not an explosion".

He told the A&T: "Any loud unscheduled noise at such a sensitive site is bound to cause alarm. Though this episode involved a shut-down unit, the sooner the cause is identified the more assured the community can be."

David Harrison, county councillor for Totton and Marchwood, said there was a concern refinery management was attempting to "play down the seriousness of incidents and not take the necessary action to avoid future ones".

He continued: "I have been in touch with local councillors suggesting that they might try to arrange a meeting with management at Exxon in order to scrutinise what happened in this latest incident.

"Local people will be naturally worried about what has happened. This isn’t one isolated incident at the refinery – there have been others.

"I think it necessary for the management to open themselves to scrutiny so that local councillors and the MP can satisfy themselves about the risks to public safety."