WORRIED residents want councillors to make sure a wider variety of flammable fuels and chemicals are not stored at a Canvey depot.

Oikos bosses have lodged a controversial application with Castle Point Council to store a wider range of hazardous substances at its plant off Haven Road, Canvey. It will finally be considered next Tuesday.

Representatives from two different residents’ groups will speak at the meeting, before councillors cast their vital votes.

Roy Haffield, 74, of Janette Avenue, Canvey, chairman of Canvey Action Group Against Oikos, vowed his group will make their views clear.

He said: “If Oikos gets this licence it will become more dangerous than Buncefield was before the huge explosion. The same thing could happen on Canvey.”

George Whatley, 70, of Limberg Road, Canvey, from People Against Methane campaign group, added: “Oikos has already been allowed to rebuild the plant without planning permission – now they’re now asking for a licence to operate it.

“We will call for councillors to turn them down and refer the whole thing to the Government for a full public enquiry.”

Oikos already has a hazardous substances consent licence, granted in 1992, allowing for storage of petrol and other chemicals that ignite below 21 degrees celsius.

Other chemicals, such as aircraft fuel, which ignite above 21 degrees, were also stored on the site, but no licence was required for them at the time.

The regulations were updated after an explosion in 2005 at Buncefield fuel storage depot, Hertfordshire, to cover all potentially explosive chemicals, including those with higher ignition temperatures.

Because of this, Oikos has applied to Castle Point Council for an updated licence, to store petrol, napthas, kerosenes including jet fuel, and other gas and diesel fuels.

A spokeswoman for Oikos said: “The new application does not seek to increase the volume of products stored.

“The Hazardous Substance Consent application has been made to ensure complete transparency with regard to the type of fuels stored at Oikos and to fully comply with the existing regulations which have been in place since 1992.

“Oikos takes its responsibility extremely seriously and has taken steps to ensure that our safety measures go further than those outlined by the post-Buncefield report.”

The meeting at the council offices, off Kiln Road, Thundersley, will start at 7.30pm.