Firecrews were rallied from across the county on Tuesday after a blaze broke out at Fawley oil refinery, whose own response team was joined by over 50 firefighters after fire broke out in one of its oil-processing units.

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue said: "It was a minor fire, but there's always the potential that the problems could have been greater."

Crews from Totton, Southampton, Hardley, Hythe and Beaulieu were scrambled just after 1pm, while other teams, including Winchester, provided standby cover. The fire was dealt with in less than an hour.

The spokesman said the response was standard with such hazardous areas. Other key sites are Southampton Airport and the naval base at Portsmouth.