Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate activists have blocked access to the Buncefield oil depot in protest over the use of fossil fuels.

Six protestors are currently lying down outside the site access road to the depot - which was the site of one of Europe’s largest explosions - near Hemel Hempstead.

The activists are using lockon devices to prevent them from being moved and are being supported by 20 other XR members.

The group says they are using PPE and abiding by social distancing to help ensure Covid-19 compliance.

They arrived at 10am and have said they plan to remain in place until 4pm.

Back in 2005 the Buncefield Depot was the scene of the UK’s largest peacetime blaze after disaster struck in the early hours of December 11.

Watford Observer:

Unleaded motor fuel was being pumped into storage tank 912, but safeguards on the tank failed and no one realised its capacity had been reached.

The depot, which stores and supplies hundreds of millions of litres of fuel per year, was rebuilt following the explosion despite strong objections from local businesses and the community, XR says.

Activist El Litten, from Luton, said “Using fossil fuels is driving the climate emergency, which in turn will cause hundreds of millions of deaths.

“Today’s action is our way of saying enough is enough. A recent study by the US National Bureau of Economic Research found that if little continues to be done to curb emissions, deaths caused by its effects will likely equal the total number of deaths from all infectious diseases put together, by the end of the century.

“Countries that have done least to cause climate change will suffer the worst.”

Nigel Harvey, from St Albans, added: “Every litre of fuel produces some 2.5Kg of CO2. And Buncefield has a storage capacity of 65 million litres.

“The carbon footprint of this site is appallingly high. The only way we are going to address the climate emergency, is to rapidly reduce our use of the fuels stored at Buncefield.”

Bex Plenderleith, from Berkhamsted, felt the coronavirus pandemic shows the government “can act swiftly”.

He added: “The size and impact of the climate emergency will completely dwarf the Covid-19 crisis – and yet our Government is failing to take the climate action we all need to survive.”