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Exactly two years ago, on 11 December 2005, Hemel Hempstead was thrust into the national spotlight when a massive explosion at Buncefield Oil Depot caused Europe's largest peacetime fire.

The blast was so loud it could be heard as far away as Holland and buildings more than a mile away were seriously damaged. For many people in and around Hemel Hempstead, they're still feeling the effects.

The People

Ian Silverstein's home is just 200 metres from the depot but he survived when it collapsed on top of him. His home was devastated in the blast but two years on he still hasn't had any compensation from the oil companies.

Ian Silverstein

He said, although he was insured, he's facing resistance from the lawyers for site-owners, HOSL, when it comes to compensation.

"It may come as a shock to everyone but you can't insure the value of your home" he said.

"You can only insure the rebuild value of your home and with house prices going up and construction prices going down, that void for everybody is getting bigger and bigger. And when something that could never happen like Buncefield happens, it highlights the big flaws in the general public's cover."

That day Heidi Brazier and her family woke to a terrifying noise to find their house wrecked. They've spent the last two years living in hotels and temporary accommodation and have only moved back into their house ten days ago. But with some more work still to do on the house, the saga goes on.

Heidi Brazier and children

"Our life in 2008 is yet again going to be dedicated to Buncefield" she said.

"We're sick of it, our life has revolved around Buncefield for two years, every aspect of family life has been changed and altered. It doesn't matter what the oil companies decide to do at the end of it, whether they do decide to be sensible and compensate people, no amount of money can give us back what they've taken in the past two years."

Buncefield Fire: View from a deserted M1

The Lawyer

Des Collins is a lawyer who represents around 280 Buncefield victims. He revealed that 拢40,000 has been claimed as compensation but feels those effected should be entitled up to 拢10 million and said the oil companies will only respond to force.

"We have issued proceedings and those proceedings in the High Court in London are about half way through" he revealed.

"The case will in fact come to trial in about October next year. And we fully believe and have always believed that it's only when we get the oil industry to the door of the court that they will talk sensibly to us."

The Council

A report has also published on the recovery work that's gone on since.

One of the oil tanks after the fire.

Dacorum Council in Hemel Hempstead set up a community taskforce to co-ordinate the recovery phase and this report details their work.

Nicky Mcintyre from the council said it's been a learning curve for them.

"The report has actually found that there isn't any definite rules of how to cope with any sort of disaster" she explained, "as this is like the first there's ever been really in peacetime. It actually has been a learning curve for us and we've had to change with every different issue that has arisen."

The MP

Mike Penning is the Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead. He is angry that two years on, things have not moved very far.

Damaged tanks at Buncefield

"I'm very very angry" he said.

"We had this conversation a year ago and frankly we're very little further on. I've still got families in hotels and I've still got thousands of people waiting for compensation. The enquiry still goes on behind closed doors and we've had very little help from anywhere else in the country - especially from the government."