Hi Allan,
In the late 70s and early 80s methane was stored underground which caused the Permafrost, Canvey Island was the guinea pig for the change to natural gas which caused all sorts of problems, all gas appliances had to be
Converted, a lot had to be replaced because they could not be converted.
We had a multipoint water heater, after 15 different fitters attempted to solve the problem of not lighting, when it did it use to blow the cover off.
As this was our only source for hot water and with 2 young children I decided to sort it out, as I kept telling the fitters the pilot light was the problem, the jet was to small, the appliance was filling with gas before
It ignited, I drilled out the jet, problem solved.
The permafrost spread from the underground storage for about 1/4 mile, when it closed they said it would take years before any development could take place, also when the plant was operational it had a exclusion zone of
1 mile radius from the plant for any development.
The gas storage tanks now replace the old plant with a large housing development a stones throw away.
Yes we did have colour coded escape routes in case of flooding, but not for long, it was realised that all escape routes
converged into one which made them completely useless, it took 2 days to evacuate the Island after the 1953 with a population of 10000.
We have one of the best sea defences in the country, the problem is on spring tides and tidal surges the only escape route off the Island has to be closed with a barrier to prevent flooding.
All the residents have been campaining for years for another access road of the Island, the council has just spent
18.5 million on a access road from an industrial estate to the gas terminal, now called the road to nowhere but evidently great for the boy racers.
Mick