Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, has condemned the fines handed out today by St Albans Crown Court to the five companies responsible for the Buncefield explosion as too lenient.

Mike said:
“I am deeply disappointed at the leniency of the financial fines handed out to the five companies – Total, Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd, British Pipelines Agency, Motherwell Control Systems and TAV Engineering.

“Over a billion pounds-worth of damage was done to my constituency, so how is a fine of £5.35million justice?

“None of this money will compensate my constituents who are still waiting for compensation for having their businesses, lives, homes and health destroyed by an industrial disaster which should never have happened and was obviously completely preventable.

“I will be using the powers I have as an MP to ask the Attorney General if he thinks that the sentence has been unduly lenient.

“Frankly these fines are an insult to my constituents.”

Total were fined £3.6million with £2.6million costs. Hertfordshire Oil Storage Limited £1.45million with £1million costs, British Pipeline Agency Limited, £300,000 with £480,000 costs, Motherwell Control Systems £1,000 with £500 costs and TAV Engineering Limited also £1,000 with £500 costs.