EMERGENCY services are to take part in a massive mock exercise at an oil storage unit tonight.

Police, Fire and Rescue and Ambulance services will be responding to a large fire which has taken hold of a unit storing oil at the BP site on the Isle of Grain.

The emergency services have to respond as if the incident was real to see whether they could cope with an extreme situation where a large explosion and mass casualties are likely.

Graham Gash, Kent Fire and Rescue Service exercise director, said: "Exercise Eleon will provide a valuable training opportunity to fully test the operational skills and knowledge associated with dealing with an incident at a large industrial and specialist site.

"Although safety standards at the site are very high, it is important that an exercise of this nature is carried out to ensure that contingency plans are as robust as possible."

Emergency services regularly carry out mock exercises to prepare them for a real-life incident, such as the explosion which occurred at the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire last year.

There is expected to be little disruption to the area when the exercise takes place btween 6.30pm and 10pm.