Mike Penning attended a meeting at Dacorum Civic Centre with John Prescott and other interested groups to consider the financial implications of the Buncefield disaster.

Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, attended a meeting of interested parties at Hemel Hemsptead on Thursday (16th February) to discuss the financial impact of the Buncefield Oil Depot explosion.

After the meeting, Mike Penning said:
“The most useful thing to come out of that meeting as far as I am concerned was the commitment made by BP that they will not be reopening their part of the Buncefield Oil Depot site before the conclusion of the inquiry.”

Although, the BP section of the Oil Depot was not damaged by the fire, this is great news for local residents. BP are acting responsibly in this matter in waiting until the inquiry is completed before making a decision over the future of their part of the oil depot.

“With the BP part of the depot remaining closed, there is no precedent set for other oil operators to call upon in any future bid to reopen the depot at Buncefield,” he said.