Shell Oil Company has been burning ethane gas at their plant, called Mossmoran, in Scotland - and this has been going on for months. Residents of the surrounding area have taken to social media to express concern

Shell Oil Company has been burning ethane gas at their plant, called Mossmoran, in Scotland – and this has been going on for months. Residents of the surrounding area have taken to social media to express concern for their health and safety. Although Shell claims the months-long burning of their ethane is safe and the fires are well controlled, residents can see and hear raging fires that keep them up at night.

A Shell spokesperson claimed that they are burning fuel because they have nowhere to store it while this specific plant is under construction. The construction will last until at least November, and so will the burnings.

These fires have been intentionally set for months now, leaving residents with countless problems as a result. Those with asthma have complained of increased difficulty breathing, loud noise coming from the site has kept some from sleeping, and the brightness of the fires can be seen from miles away.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has reported over 1400 complaints from locals this year regarding the fuel burning at Mossmoran, but they have yet to take action. The long-term health and environmental affects of the pollution Shell is creating is unknown at this point.