Major incident declared after oil from onshore field leaks into harbour
Members of the public have been urged not to swim in Poole Harbour after fluid from an onshore oil field leaked into it.
Around 200 barrels’ worth of reservoir fluid, including oil, is thought to have leaked into the water from a pipeline under the harbour.
The pipeline is operated by Perenco, which took over the nearby Wytch Farm oil field in 2011.
The UK Health Security Agency in the South West said: ‘Members of the public should not swim in Poole Harbour or the surrounding area until further notice.
‘Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water.
‘If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water.’
Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) told the BBC: ‘It is estimated that approximately 200 barrels of reservoir fluid has been released into the water column in Poole Harbour.’
Leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Philip Broadhead said in a statement: “As leader of the council I will, along with the senior council team, be working to see what implications this leak may have and what action we may need to take.
‘It is of course extremely disappointing to hear of this event, and while there will be a time later for anger and investigation, our focus now must be on ensuring we can mitigate any impacts of this situation.’
He said ‘long-established mechanisms’ had come into play, with PHC taking the lead on tackling the leak.
Wytch Farm, which is located on the south side of Poole Harbour, is one of the largest onshore oil fields in Europe.
Perenco has said a clean-up operation is taking place.
Franck Dy, Perenco UK’s Wytch Farm general manager, said: ‘Any spill is an extremely serious matter and a full investigation will be launched to ascertain what happened in Poole Harbour.
‘It is important to stress that the situation is under control, with the discharge of fluids having been stopped and the spill is being contained.’
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