PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb has spoken of his shock at the scenes of destruction at the Buncefield fuel depot in Hemel Hempsted, Hertfordshire, which saw the UK's largest peace-time explosion in December.

Mr Crabb was shown the site by the local MP, former Essex firefighter Mike Penning, who has been leading calls for a full independent public inquiry into the disaster.

The Preseli MP had requested the visit to find out more about the safety issues affecting major fuel depots. Pembrokeshire is home to the largest fuel storage depot in the UK at Waterston. The Waterston depot has recently been sold by Petroplus to American company Semgroup which has stated that it aims to expand the fuel storage depot.

The explosion and fire, which began in the early morning of Sunday December 11, led to the closure of several major roads, the evacuation of nearly 2,000 residents in addition to the widespread destruction of a neighbouring business park where 30,000 people had been employed.

An estimated £300 million of damage was caused to houses, buildings and business assets. Miraculously, only two people were critically injured. Had the incident occurred during the working week, experts estimate that hundreds of lives could have been lost.

Following the visit, Mr Crabb said: "This visit to Buncefield was an eye-opener for me. I was truly shocked by the sheer number of modern buildings next to the site which are now mangled and awaiting demolition.

"The blast ripped right through huge warehouses and office units, in one side and out the other. The buildings reminded me of the TV images of Baghdad following the heavy air strikes at the start of the Iraq war. "Such an incident must never happen in Pembrokeshire."

Mr Crabb also raised concerns over the way that the investigation into the Buncefield fire is being conducted.

"Given the role the Health and Safety Executive had in overseeing the safety of the Buncefield depot in the first place, their investigation now does appear to be a case of the HSE investigating itself. What is needed is a full independent public inquiry which leads to firm recommendations about how these fuel sites can be constructed and operated more safely."

"I also want the inquiry to comment on the role of the fire and rescue services. Eighteen different fire brigades and nearly 200 firefighters were involved in tackling the Buncefield fire. I have serious concerns about our local fire and rescue capabilities, given the current changes being pushed through. In particular, at a time when Pembrokeshire is emerging as one of the major energy centres of the UK, the proposal that our county will not have one single 24 hour fire station beggars belief."

"I am grateful to Mike Penning for sparing the time to take me around Buncefield. As a former firefighter, Mike knows first hand the dangers that are associated with these types of incident."

Following the fire in December, Mr Crabb tabled Parliamentary Questions to the Deputy Prime Minister asking what steps he is taking to improve security and safety at fuel storage sites and is currently awaiting answers.

Mr Crabb will now write to the management of Semgroup to seek assurances that all safety concerns are being met and that any future plans for the Waterston site will be put on hold until the HSE has produced its report into Buncefield.