Hemel Hempstead Refinery Fire

Latham(James) PLC
13 December 2005



The Directors of James Latham plc wish to inform the markets that following the
explosion at the Buncefield Oil Refinery, the Group Head Office and Hemel
Hempstead Trading depot are currently inaccessible. We put our disaster recovery
plan into operation yesterday, and relocated our trading and head office
functions to other depots. We are hoping to gain access to the site today where
we can assess any damage and plan our return to the site. We are not
anticipating that market expectations will be affected.



For further information:

Barrie Newton / Mark Sevier, Rowan Dartington & Co. Limited - 0117 933 0000


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