June 10th MP SLAMS MANAGERS OF OIL REFINERY AFTER SECOND BLAZE IN WEEK

An MP has accused the managers of a Scottish oil refinery of incompetence after it suffered two fires within a week.

Fire crews were called out on Saturday to attend the fire at the giant Grangemouth refinery three days after a steam pipe blew up.

Michael Connarty (pictured), Labour MP for Falkirk East, said he was "enraged" and warned that he would go for the managers big time.

'Something going wrong'

The second fire was the seventh incident at the complex in central Scotland since last July.

it happened in part of the plant where oil is converted into petrol.

Geoff Williams, from Central Scotland Fire Brigade, said: "The explosion was met with a big ball of flames. There was a lot of smoke."

It came just hours after the Labour MP had grilled managers of the BP refinery about the steam pipe incident on Wednesday night.

The MP said the blaze would cost the company "millions" and cause fresh alarm among people living in nearby Grangemouth, although he said there was no risk to people in the town.

He said: "I'm enraged about this. I spent yesterday talking to senior management from BP. They said they had a plan of action for safe operation.

"The question is, was their inch-by-inch check good enough? Was the planning competent and the people running it skilled enough to know what they are doing?

He said he would be meeting management again, adding: "I'm going for them big-time." He added that it was fortunate no-one had been injured in the steam pipe explosion.

BP denied that it had put any lives in danger and assured the town that their safety would not be jeopardised.

http://www.sky.com/news/uk/story13.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 10, 2000