Three out of four Fawley Refinery flares are burning this afternoon - sending clouds of white smoke billowing into the sky.
ExxonMobil, which runs the site in the New Forest, has confirmed this is due to planned maintenance work due to be completed in the next few hours.
READ MORE: Fawley refinery issues 'noise and smoke' warning to residents
At ExxonMobil Fawley we often get asked questions by our host community about our flare units.
— ExxonMobil Fawley (@ExxonMobilFAW) August 3, 2023
Who better to provide an insight and to answer some of the most common questions, than Carl and Charlotte, who both help oversee the safe use of our flares.https://t.co/RvLwwtrDOI pic.twitter.com/Hf7MWUFHJc
A spokesperson for the company said it "apologises if the noise is causing any disruption".
"We are trying to do the work as quickly as we possibly can.
"This is planned maintenance work and the use of the flares is completely safe.
"We are working hard to minimise any disturbance."
They added that steam is being added in order to ensure the flares burn clean.
Operational update 🔧 pic.twitter.com/e4QN9mdnVa
— ExxonMobil Fawley (@ExxonMobilFAW) August 30, 2023
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