BP 'to pay £125m' for pollution breaches

Oil company BP has agreed to pay a total of £125 million after a fatal explosion occurred at one of its US plants in 2005.

The explosion and ensuing fire killed 15 people and injured a further 170.

BP will pay a fine of £8.4 million, along with £112.5 million on improving pollution control and a further £4.2 million on improving air quality around its Texas plant, where the incident occurred four years ago.

Acting assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency Catherine McCabe said that BP "failed to fulfill its obligations under the law, putting air quality and public health at risk".

She continued: "Today's settlement will improve air quality for the people living in and around Texas City, many of whom come from minority and low-income backgrounds."

In related news, two firms in the US agreed to pay fines last week after they were accused of breaching pollution laws. Frontier Oil and the Wyoming Refinery collectively pay £97.9 million in fines and enhancing their current pollution control systems.