100 back Canvey Island anti-Oikos depot petition

Energy firm Oikos has applied to Castle Point Council for permission to store hazardous liquids, including petrol, heating oil and jet fuel at its plant, off Haven Road. The company says it is just updating its existing consent.

But residents are worried the move will make the site more dangerous and could lead to Oikos using it to store even more substances.

They have handed a petition, signed by more than 100 people, to Canvey town, borough and county councillor Ray Howard.

Resident Roy Haffied, 73, of Janette Avenue, Canvey, one of those who signed the petition, said: “We are saying ‘no, no, no’ to this.

“Oikos claims it will store the most dangerous stuff at the end of the plant closest to the sea – as far from residents as possible. However, no one can tell us whether that would make any difference if there was a disaster.

“If there was a leak from one of the storage tanks, gas from the fuel could be more explosive than the liquid itself. I’m worried it could spread quickly and over a long distance.”

Oikos has already refurbished 17 giant storage tanks at the terminal, which has been leased to BP in a multi-million-pound deal likley to make a major distribution centre.

It is understood these are already being used to store many of the hazardous chemicals covered by the application. Oikos says it is merely applying to update its dangerous substances consent.

Tanya Bloom, spokesman for Oikos, said: “We have recently applied to Castle Point Council to update our existing hazardous substances consent, in line with the refurbishment of our Canvey facility.

“It’s our intention to store applicable hazardous substances in refurbished tanks further away from residential areas, which is in line with the latest safety and environmental standards. Oikos will respond to the council to all the concerns raised by residents.”

Castle Point Council has yet to announce when councillors will decide on the application.