THE decision to close schools in the Chilterns after the Buncefield oil depot explosion has been questioned by parents and residents.

People in the area have said the decision to stop children going to 29 Buckinghamshire County Council-run schools in the district on Tuesday was unnecessary as the thick black smoke coming from Hemel Hempstead was thousands of feet above the ground.

The dark smoke came from the violent blaze which ripped through the Buncefield fuel depot in the early hours of Sunday morning. The explosion was heard by thousands of people across the Chilterns.

Fraser Pearson, a spokesman for Bucks Fire and Rescue Service, said: "One caller from Prestwood was adamant the explosion was in Prestwood, because it sounded so loud, he was sure it must be close by."

In a letter in the Daily Telegraph, Paul Houghton, from Little Chalfont, said the action taken to close the schools was unnecessary.

He said: "I live in a road which has a school, nine miles from the Buncefield oil terminal.

"There was some smoke blowing over high above us but the air was clear at ground level.

"Buckinghamshire County Council has deemed it unsafe for the children to be inside the school, but safe for them to travel to school only to be told it is closed, safe to be in their houses around the school, play outside their homes. I would love to hear what the council officers have to say about the logic of this. Is it just that they can absolve themselves of responsibility for anything that could happen to the children? Mother-of-two and Chiltern district councillor Mimi Harker, 40, has also raised concerns about why the schools weren't closed the day after the blast.

She said: "I was quite surprised at the decision. First we were told we were not in danger then we were told they would not be at school on Tuesday. We were told it was not harmful, told it was not toxic, that it was perfectly okay. It makes me suspicious. If it is not harmful why was the decision taken? It makes me think what is going on here.' "If it was going to happen it should have happened on Monday."

Cllr Harker, from Hollybush Lane, said she had to miss a day of work because she could not arrange child care for the day and her son missed his first school disco because of Sunday's disaster.

A spokesman for Buck County Council said that all schools within 16km of the fire were closed following advice from Government officials. A statement released on Wednesday advised schools it was safe to reopen.

A spokesman for the Bucks and Milton Keynes health protection agency said: "The decision to close the schools was based on advice that was put together by the health advisory team, who advised to close all schools within a ten mile radius so that children would not breathe in fumes that could be harmful to them."