People e-mailed the BBC with more than 6,500 photos or mobile phone video clips of the inferno at the Buncefield oil depot explosion yesterday.

According to MediaGuardian, this set a new record for emails sent to the BBC in the aftermath of an event. After the July 7th London Underground bombings, the BBC's yourpics@bbc.co.uk site received around 1,000 images and mobile clips from the public.

MediaGuardian quoted Pete Clifton, the head of BBC News Interactive:

"The range of material we received from our readers was absolutely extraordinary. Video, still pictures and emails poured in from the moment the blast happened, and it played a central part in the way we reported the unfolding events."

Half a million unique users viewed clips and footage yesterday on the BBC's online news video service, an audience second only to number of requests for clips on 7 July.