No-one was hurt when a dramatic incident at Fawley led to a unit at the Hampshire refinery being shut down and emergency flaring, which lit up the sky, yesterday.

Operators told the Isle of Wight County Press the ExxonMobil Fawley site remained operational and there was no impact on fuel supply.

An issue was identified at the refinery, at the mouth of Southampton water, on the Hampshire side of the Solent, at around 4.40pm on Tuesday.

It was dealt with by onsite teams and saw a unit shut down.

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Flares from three chimneys, seen as far inland as Gunville, were described as a standard safety procedure.

They ended at around 9pm.

Flaring allows operators to to safely manage excess gas while units are isolated.

The orange glow prompted calls to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, which had been notified in advance of the flaring operation.   

ExxonMobil Fawley said: "We will now work to assess the steps required to bring the unit back into operation.

"We apologise to communities for any disturbance caused by their use."