Ineos says sorry for latest black fumes ‘unplanned outage’

A pall of black fumes drifted over parts of Grangemouth from the Ineos plant yesterday after the latest “unplanned outage” from the site.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A picture provided by a reader clearly shows fumes blowing over local homes.

A similar mishap provoked a storm of protest in April, when clouds of fumes from two chimneys swept over local homes for much of the day and into the evening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The pollution comes at the same time as claims in a Sunday Times report today that companies owned by Sir James Ratcliffe, including Ineos, are reponsible for almost a third of industrial air pollution in Scotland.

Black fumes coming from Ineos flaring. Pic: Michael Gillen.Black fumes coming from Ineos flaring. Pic: Michael Gillen.
Black fumes coming from Ineos flaring. Pic: Michael Gillen.

As with previous mishaps Ineos apologised via a statement on social media, saying it is doing its best to limit the level and duration of “any flaring” across the site.

It has also apologised for any inconvenience it caused local residents and thanked them for their patience.

However one irate local resident said: “I have been a Grangemouth local all my life, and this is a carry on. Something has to be done about this mob.

“There is no excuse - it is happening all too often.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) released a statement last night via social media, which said officers had been in regular contact with the company and had been assured measures were being taken to address the issue.

I added: “SEPA will follow up with the company to establish the cause and ensure all appropriate measures were taken to minimise the impact on the community.”