LAST night's severe storms has led to flaring at Mossmorran.

Plant bosses blamed "extreme weather" for what they described as a "process upset".

In a statement released within the last few minutes, Jacob McAlister, plant manager, said: "As a direct result of the extreme weather and associated electrical impacts, we have experienced a process upset.

"As part of the plant’s safety and operational procedures, we are using our elevated flare.

"Our team are working to evaluate requirements to return to normal operations and to minimise the time in the flare.

"We stress that the use of the flare is completely safe but we apologise for any concern or disruption caused.

"We will keep you updated on our progress but do let us know if you have any questions."

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responding to the incident and a spokesperson stated: "Officers are being deployed to the area to assess impacts on the community. SEPA’s air quality and noise monitoring remains in place.

"We will provide updates as soon as we can using our online Hub at sepa.org.uk/mossmorran."