We've been having strands of the smoke clouds going over us all day because of the explosion up in Hemel. I've just looked out of the window and whereas we're fairly clear above us there is a very large, thick, black cloud in the distance heading our way.

Luckily we are not expecting any rain so we shouldn't get covered in the 'black stuff' but it will eventually be deposited on land. I've seen a couple of mild health warnings on a couple of sites about it's final descent on to us but haven't heard anything official as yet.

At least it won't be as bad as when Chernobyl went up in the 80's. I still very vividly remember the yellow streaked washing in the gardens after rain storms and the foul yellow foam on the surf of the waves as they came to shore near my grandparents house. An oil explosion is nasty but will eventually die down and its effects are very short lived for the vast majority (there will doubt me instances of smoke inhilation, etc, as we've already seen but on the whole they will be very few) whereas a real disdaster such as the one at Chernobyl will have global effects for years to come.