Buncefield siren to be sounded in routine test

The siren will be tested at 7pm next Wednesday, September 3. and will produce a two-toned alarm, followed by a single tone alarm.

The test at the site, officially called the BP Hemel Hempstead Terminal, will last a total of two minutes.

The siren is tested twice a year as part of routine maintenance at the terminal, where Europe’s largest peacetime explosion took place in December 2005.

The terminal was the fifth largest oil-products storage depot in the United Kingdom, with a capacity of about 60,000,000 gallons of fuel.

The terminal is owned by Total UK and Texaco, with BP and Shell also making use of its facilities.

The alarm system is part of a series of improvements to the safety of the site to help prevent such incidents occurring again.

For further information, call 01442 257391.