WORKERS at Coryton Refinery have been praised for their response to last week's blast and blaze at the plant.

Emergency crews sprang into action after a processing tower at the plant spilled fuel which caught light, sending flames shooting 100ft into the air.

The blast was heard as far away as Shoebury.

Refinery manager Jon Barden said: "I would like to take this opportunity to pay testament to each and every one of the refinery's fire crews and the Essex Fire and Rescue crews.

"Our first response teams were quickly at the scene and in control of the situation when the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service arrived at site.

"Together they continued to manage and monitor the situation until the fire was out - a fantastic job."

Arnie Arnold, emergency response specialist, added: "This collaboration with the fire and rescue service has proved extremely beneficial to both our organisations.

"We train together for just such an occasion and the speed with which the incident was brought under control shows just how effective this mutual aid is.

"Coryton takes its responsibility as a key installation in the local community very seriously and it is because of this that incident prevention is a top priority for us.

"Coryton Refinery is very proud of its first response teams, which are made up of employees from the shift teams and day work teams and are led by a fire safety officer.

"These teams have a great knowledge of the refinery because they work on all areas of the operations.

"These crews are fully trained and this training will include hot oil fire fighting, high access rescue and confined space rescues."