Emergency crews to attend drill

An emergency response simulation will take place at the Mossmorran plant near Cowdenbeath today.

Residents are being told not to be alarmed if they spot a large emergency service presence at the site or in the surrounding area.

The joint planned emergency exercise will begin at around 10am and is expected to last around three hours.

Bosses at ExxonMobil Chemical Limited and Shell UK say the aim is to test out their response to an emergency at the site and to ensure they are prepared.

Neighbours may see vehicles from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service heading to and from the plant.

Police Scotland will also be joining in with the drill.

Emergency services may be visible along the North Access Road to the site or at the main entrance prior to the exercise getting started.

The chemical plant is currently under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

The probe was launched after a final warning notice was issued to the site’s operators in April this year.

It followed a prolonged flaring incident in June 2017 which Sepa described as “preventable and unacceptable”.

The flaring was a result of a condensate pump breaking down, prompting 74 complaints to Sepa.