The refinery began operating in 1973 under Amoco's ownership, but in its final years it was owned by Murco Petroleum.

[8][9] In June 2014 it was reported that the refinery had been sold to the Klesch Group, safeguarding 400 jobs at the site.

[10] In November the deal fell through and it was announced that the refinery will be converted into a 'storage and distribution facility' with a loss of over 300 jobs.

In March 2015 the site was acquired by Puma Energy, along with three English inland terminals at Westerleigh, Theale and Bedworth.

At its close the refinery had an annual processing capacity of 5.5 million tonnes (108,000 barrels per day).

Filled with more than 46,000 tonnes of oil, the flaming storage tank experienced multiple boilovers, spreading the fire into the four-acre (16,000 m2) containment dyke.