THE Stanlow Refinery, which is undergoing a scheduled programme of maintenance and renewal, has disrupted many with 'awful' smells and 'frightening' flames.

People living in Ellesmere Port and beyond reported huge flames and a smell of fuel on Sunday, January 8.

Stephen Allman, spotted the flames from Thornton-le-Moors village, near Stanlow, and said it is "a disgrace that these practices continue on a regular basis."

He added: "It went on for several hours. This is deemed a perfectly acceptable practice by the fossil fuel industry despite the fact that it is bad for health and the environment.

"Although we had correspondence from Essar in November to say there may be more flaring, that doesn't make it any more acceptable."

On social media, one person said: "What's with the flame at Stanlow, never seen it so bad and the smell of fuel is awful."

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Another added: "Literally keeps me awake with how brightly it flares and how loud it is, it's frightening."

The 'flaring' has become more regular and Essar explained that it is a 'safe and controlled' process.

A spokesperson for Essar Oil UK said: "Essar has been undertaking a turnaround at the Stanlow refinery, as part of the site’s scheduled programme of maintenance and renewal.

"The recent flaring is part of the refinery’s safe and controlled start-up process, as the maintenance works are completed.

"Some flaring may continue for a few days, but then will quickly reduce to normal levels.

"We will continue to do all we can to minimise any disruption to local residents."