Talisman has until late March to put the problems right after the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) served an Improvement Notice.

The issue has angered Aberdeen union official Jake Molloy, who said he finds it “astonishing” that problems with deluge sprinkler systems were still being found on offshore platforms off the UK.

Molloy of offshore union OILC-RMT said: “Front-line defences against fire like this should be in working order on every facility.