Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of 81,143 at the 2001 Census (but now estimated at around 89,000 by Hertfordshire county council) . Developed after World War II as a new town, it has existed as a settlement since the 8th century. It is part of the district (and borough since 1984) of Dacorum and the Hemel Hempstead constituency. On 11 December 2005 it was brought into the news by the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire.