A BUSINESSMAN whose £1.3 million dream home was completely destroyed by the Buncefield explosion is still waiting for compensation two years after the disaster.

Traumatised Ian Silverstein has seen his devastated mansion looted repeatedly and now lives in a two bedroom home.

He was forced to flee barefoot from his home in Cherry Tree Lane, St Albans - just 200 metres from the depot - following the blast on December 11, 2005.

Speaking on the anniversary of Europe's biggest fire since the Second World War, the 38-year-old attacked moves to reinstate parts of the depot when he still has not received a penny from Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd (HOSL), which is responsible for the depot.

He said: "To say the last 24 months have been hell is an understatement. I have been ignored by the oil companies, the Government, local councils, the local police and every other authority that I presumed would help a British citizen in need following a national disaster "I lost everything in that explosion - my home, my possessions, my faith in the UK, my entrepreneurial spirit and on a regular basis the will to carry on.

"Even after nearly two years I haven't received a penny from those responsible and am still affected on a daily basis by the events and trauma of the explosion.

"The effect on my life has been catastrophic. My business has suffered dramatically in the aftermath of the explosion. I'm still having therapy, I'm still on anti-depressants and I can't sleep without sleeping tablets.

"Everyone else affected by Buncefield has got on with their lives. Most of them are back in their homes. They may think about it now and then, but I'm living with the nightmare every day.

"Nothing has happened. It's not like it's two months after the explosion - it's two years. What do they expect me to do? I've had my life taken away from me - I can't move on until this is sorted."

St Albans MP Anne Main said she was disgusted that a recent application for a truckers rest stop - 150metres from the depot - was refused on safety grounds even though Mr Silverstein's home is a mere 50 metres further on. She said: "I want the oil company to recognise the human element of Ian's claim. He is a broken man and they have a duty of care to him. They could give him an interim settlement, without accepting liability for the incident, so that he can have a reasonable quality of life until this is sorted."

On the three nights following the explosion, looters stole more than £25,000 of property including a plasma TV screen, a SkyPlus box and a Sony PlayStation from Mr Silverstein's home despite it being within a police cordon.

The founder of Creative Action Design, in London Road, St Albans, added: "My home has been looted more than 30 times since the explosion. Despite having bricked up my windows and doors, they have stolen my light bulbs, door handles, toilets, shower heads - absolutely everything has been ripped out. There's nothing left."

He bought his home in 2002 and spent three years and more than £350,000 restoring it. The five bedroom house, which included a swimming pool and out-house, was completed just months before the oil depot fire.

Set in three acres of land, the house was built in 1911 for the Frys chocolate family by famous architect Edwin Lutyens. The grounds were landscaped by a royal horticulturalist.

Recalling the events of December 11, Mr Silverstein said: "I remember being woken when the ceiling and roof fell on top of me and my girlfriend. We immediately got out of bed and found all the windows, doors, internal walls and furniture destroyed.

"I remember seeing a solid orange colour in the direction of Buncefield and hearing a continual noise of what can only be described as destruction.

"At that point our initial thoughts were that an aeroplane had hit my house.

"When we, hand in hand, left the bedroom and made our way along the landing to the stairs, all we can remember is seeing nothing but devastation."

Mr Silverstein suffered extensive cuts to his head, arms, legs and feet following the blast and had to have six stitches in his head and four in his chest.

Oil company Total has already reinstated the depot's underground pipelines to feed aviation fuel from an oil refinery in Humberside to Heathrow.

A spokesman for HOSL, a joint venture between Total and Chevron, said: "While we cannot comment on individual claims, we have made significant progress overall, with agreement now having been reached to settle approximately 2,400 out of 3,700 formal claims received.

"These actions are taken without legal liability for the incident having been established and are on a without prejudice basis and without admission of liability. In some of the outstanding cases, the information required for settlement to be reached is still to be received from claimants.

"It is only once all the information has been received that a claim can be processed.

"From the outset, we have been keen to progress the resolution of all claims in a pragmatic and sensitive manner, particularly with individuals who may have suffered harm as a result of the incident."

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