RESIDENTS living along the route of a proposed gas tanker run believe they are being kept in the dark over the risk of transporting such highly hazardous material by road. They are criticising oil company Star Energy for the impact of road travel on the environment and for potentially putting people's lives at risk. But Star Energy believes that road transportation is the best environmental solution to the problem of making use of surplus gas. And it has agreed to commission an independent risk assessment of the route, to help reassure people of the safety of the exercise. Concerns have been raised following an application by Star Energy Group plc, seeking permission to import compressed natural gas by trailer and discharge it at the Humbly Grove oil well site at Weston Common in Lasham where it will be used to generate electricity for the National Grid. The plan is to use 16.5m articulated lorries, each carrying 21,805 litres of compressed natural gas (CNG) at 1500psi from Singleton in West Sussex to Weston Common resulting in 12 tanker movements a day (six full, six empty), seven days a week, until 2016. The trucks would travel up the A32 to the A31 before passing through Alton under The Butts railway bridge and along Whitedown Lane to link up with the A339 towards Basingstoke. They would then turn right into The Avenue at Lasham and hence to the Humbly Grove oilfield. The application appears to have been driven by the Environment Agency which is pushing the oil company to reduce 'flaring' at its well site at Singleton. In a statement to Hampshire County Council, agent Mark Kelly of Alliance Planning Ltd explained that while the Singleton oilfield already processes some natural gas for electricity it is working to capacity and is having to burn off the surplus. The Environment Agency has criticised the company for its high CO2 emissions and views this as a waste of natural resources. Star Energy has been left with three options: to upgrade the National Grid connection at Singleton, which is not considered viable, or to transport gas by road or pipeline to another site. Humbly Grove has been selected as it has spare capacity and an 8 MVA connection to the National Grid. It already has a licence until 2025 to process gas which it has imported since 2003 via pipeline from a site at Barton Stacey. The gas is stored underground where it adds pressure to help with oil extraction before it too is fed into the National Grid system. Local residents are asking why the gas from Singleton cannot come by pipeline. They have been told that the Singleton field sits in a remote location at the centre of a SINC (Site of Importance for Natural Conservation) and that it would be expensive to sink another pipeline to extract gas through ancient protected woodland. The statement has sparked anger that economics has been put before safety. Two public meetings have already taken place – one at Herriard on January 11 when local councillors and members of the Alton Society expressed their concerns. Top of the list was the pressure under which the gas will be transported and the impact of a major accident on the road. Consulting engineer Mike Neale OBE lives close to the Humbly Grove site. He points out that at 1500 psi the natural gas will be under vastly greater pressure in transit than Calor Gas (approx 30 psi) or LPG (approx 100 psi), or petrol which is not pressurised. Mr Neale told The Herald: "These natural gas tankers are calculated to have between approx 15 and 50 times the pressure of other road tankers. "Despite requests, Star Energy has not been forthcoming with pressure information and imply its vehicles are just as safe and risk-free as the average car, van or HGV. "All Star Energy needs is a major accident with these tankers, which are rare on British roads. "The escaping highly inflammable gas will travel much further and quicker than petrol as a liquid. The risk of explosion and fireball is much greater due to the very high pressure." Mr Neale pointed out that if a gas tanker was to explode while going down Whitedown Lane, under Butts bridge or through Farringdon, the resulting fireball and explosion would probably devastate a wide area, almost certainly killing anyone in close proximity. Secretary of The Avenue Residents' Association (TARA) Ian Lansley added: "There is serious concern both at the Weston Common site and along the route the gas tankers will take that there could be a serious accident that would be a regional or even a national disaster." As a result of public concern Star Energy has agreed to commission an independent risk assessment of the route and a CO2 analysis in time for consideration of the application by HCC's Regulatory Committee on February 14. The deadline for comments is Monday, January 28. Public comments should be submitted to HCC Minerals and Waste Planning on 01962 846728 or Peter Chadwick at [email protected]">[email protected]  The reference number is BA057/BDB67621/ SE2628.