Poole Harbour: 200-barrel fluid leak unacceptable - council leader

A leak from a pipeline astatine an onshore lipid tract into the h2o astatine Poole Harbour successful Dorset, is "unacceptable" its assembly person has said.

About astir 200 barrels of reservoir fluid including lipid leaked from a pipeline tally by Perenco, connected Sunday.

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council person Philip Broadhead said: "Serious questions request to beryllium answered."

People are being urged not to aquatics astatine the harbour oregon surrounding areas.

Mr Broadhead said: "When I archetypal heard astir this yesterday I was aggravated and disappointed.

"From what we are proceeding it is simply a tiny leak of reservoir fluid which was caught fortunately rather rapidly - they've stopped immoderate further leaks, they've got booms up, truthful 1 hopes astatine the infinitesimal that we person avoided immoderate existent catastrophe here.

"We won't cognize much until this greeting but the aboriginal indications are that the aboveground slick is already dispersing. You privation it retired to oversea and dispersing arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

"It's unacceptable - the relation has already said determination volition beryllium an probe ... but immoderate superior questions request to beryllium answered."

Experts are owed to get astatine the harbour to measure the leak further connected Monday morning.

Approximately 200 barrels of reservoir fluid was released aft the leak occurred astatine Wytch Farm lipid field.

Perenco said each tube contained 158 litres (35 gallons) of fluids which were "a premix of h2o with a tiny magnitude of oil" made up of 85% h2o and 15% oil.

The steadfast said: "The nonstop amounts discharged are not yet known. It was a constricted magnitude which was rapidly stopped, contained and is being cleaned."

People I've been speaking to present astatine Poole Harbour are concerned.

The skipper of a charter vessel heading retired to oversea told maine helium didn't cognize what helium would find successful the water; and sportfishing boats are loading up for a time astatine sea, hoping their enactment volition beryllium unaffected.

Their unit members are each asking the aforesaid questions arsenic the authorities: conscionable however overmuch lipid has leaked, however easy tin it beryllium cleaned up, and however superior volition immoderate lasting interaction be?

It whitethorn instrumentality immoderate clip to found that. But successful an country fashionable with swimmers and quality lovers, it's a lawsuit of watching and waiting and hoping for the best.

Anyone who has travel into interaction with the spill should lavation instantly with soap and water. If eyes person travel into interaction with the spill, they should beryllium rinsed with water.

The pipeline has been shutdown.