Health and Safety Executive (HSE) specialists are investigating a fire at an oil refinery in Essex

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) specialists are investigating a fire at an oil refinery in Essex, according to reports.

An explosion occurred when the fire broke out on Wednesday at the Petroplus Coryton refinery near Stanford le Hope, Essex.

HSE inspectors had been at the site on Tuesday, the day before the fire, carrying out routine checks.

The BBC quoted a spokesman who said the checks were not directly linked to the area where the fire broke out.