SITE operators at Mossmorran have confirmed the plant has stopped flaring.

Flaring ceased at the Fife Ethylene Plant at around 1.30am this morning (Monday) as operators completed the process to re-start the plant.

ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd will now be carrying out a thorough review into the latest incident with the giant flame visible miles away.

Sonia Bingham, plant manager at FEP, said: "I would like to apologise to the local community for the unplanned flaring over the past few days. My operations team at FEP has worked tirelessly over the weekend to restore normal operations to the plant and kept SEPA fully informed throughout the event.

"I know that flaring can cause concern and inconvenience, but it is a vital safety system and we never flare without good reason.

"We have made every effort to minimise any impact on the local community, and while I recognise that it can be frustrating to local residents, I am grateful to them for their patience and understanding."

There were three cases of flaring last year, with one in October and two incidents of thick black plumes of smoke filling the air in June, prompting local communities and politicians to call for action.

The Press reported in January that cases of flaring at the plant had risen by 364 per cent in the past decade.

Figures published by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) show a rise from 39 in 2008 to 181 in 2016.