Kodak will not be able to move back to its base on the site of the Buncefield fuel depot explosions in Hertfordshire until December – a year after the disaster.

The blasts, on 11 December 2005, forced Kodak?s business centre staff to move out of their state-of-the-art offices at Buncefield, near Hemel Hempstead where they had only been for three months.

Initially staff moved to temporary offices in Harrow. They then moved into their former base – Kodak House ? which is in Hemel Hempstead town centre.

The company has released a statement saying that it expects staff to return the Buncefield-based building, Hemel One, in December ?following completion of extensive renovation to the building?.

The decision to maintain links with Hemel has apparently delighted local MP Mike Penning who said: ?Kodak has played an important role in the local community for nearly 50 years and with this decision is demonstrating an important commercial lead. I sincerely hope that this will encourage other businesses to show similar commitment.?