Explosion.....!

We've just been woken up by what sounded and felt like a massive explosion. Houseshaking.

Flickering lights in the sky in the distance.

Sky TV news reporting an explosion near or in Hemel Hempstead, perhaps at a fuel depot of some sorts.

Sky news online report.

There's a massive black cloud drifting this way, perhaps about a mile away.

From the back garden.

It's interesting to listen to the various reports of the noise the explosion made across the South of the country. A number of people reported hearing a low rumbling before it happened which is contrary to what we heard. For us it was a defined event. A single sharp and very loud bang, followed by the kind of rolling sound that thunder can make.

Regarding that cloud of smoke, it seems to be moving away rather than towards us now.

Apparently they are evacuating residents from Leverstock Green, half a mile to a mile away from here. Possibly something to do with the cloud.

We hear reports that a number of shops in the high street, 4 or so miles from the event, have had windows blown out.

Having been up since the very start and following the MSM reports it seems to us that Sky News were well ahead of any of the other broadcasters on this. First to report it on TV, first pictures, first video and live reports from the scene. A few minutes behind The England Project but not far.

Some of this might have something to do with the number of engineers that they have across the country that install equipment in residential homes etc. Some of the early reports came directly from these engineers phoning in to the sky offices.

No reports on any early reportage from TV licensing crews across the country.

Apparently the depot stores a number of different kinds of fuels, aviation, kerosine and unleaded petrol. The depot is the largest such depot in the country (Ed: incorrect, apparently the 5th largest - 'Hertfordshire Police') so this may well have some knock on effect to energy supplies. If the slack cannot be taken up by other depots and refineries it could be an interesting test of the government's emergency fuel storage and supply plans that they said they put into effect after the petrol demonstrations that blockaded various refineries and depots across the country some time back.

Tim Newman reports on his educated guess as to what the cause might be (via comments at Tim Worstall's blog).