Environmental groups have reacted to the declaration of a major incident after more than 200 barrels of reservoir fluid leaked into Poole Harbour, leaving a “large amount of oil” in the water.
The incident, in Dorset, took place shortly before 2pm on Sunday, at a pipeline operated by Perenco, under Owers Bay, Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) said.
Members of the public have been urged not to swim in Poole Harbour or the surrounding area until further notice.
Anyone who comes into contact with the spill are urged to wash their hands immediately using soap and water.
PHC has put their oil spill plan in place and a number of organisations were supporting their efforts in the incident, including companies specialising in oil spill response.
Reacting to the tragedy, Greenpeace said in a statement: "This latest spill demonstrates the environmental devastation that comes with oil and gas drilling.
"Poole Harbour will still be drenched in oil when ministers decide whether or not to give the greenlight to the controversial Rosebank oilfield later this week. Surely this should give them pause for thought.
“Risk of spills aside, new oil and gas projects are completely incompatible with tackling the climate crisis, providing energy security, lowering bills or ensuring the planet remains inhabitable.
"The IPCC made this abundantly clear last week. The government should say no to Rosebank and prioritise cheap, renewable power making the UK a global leader in green energy.”
The commissioners are continuing to assess the situation and reports have said the affected pipeline has been shut, with booms installed on either side of the leak, The BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Extinction Rebellion is planning on holding a protest at the site of the disaster at 4,30pm today.
The group said in a statement: "Very sadly, it seems there has been an oil leak in Poole Harbour, at a pipeline owned by climate criminals Perenco.
"As long as our energy supplies and economy are so beholden to fossil fuel interests incidents such as this are inevitable, our precious eco-systems collateral damage."
The Environment Agency said it had received reports of a “large amount of oil” in the harbour and Dorset Police said it was first informed of the environmental incident at 1.43pm on Sunday
In a statement, PHC said: "Earlier today a leak occurred at a pipeline operated by Perenco under Owers Bay in Poole Harbour.
"It is estimated that approximately 200 barrels of reservoir fluid has been released into the water column in Poole Harbour.
"The pipeline has been shut down and booms have been placed on either side of the leak. An assessment is currently being carried out.
"Perenco have mobilised Oil Spill Response Ltd and Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) have mobilised Adler and Allen to assist with this incident. These companies are specialists in oil spill response incidents.
"PHC have activated their oil spill plan and are working with a number of organisations. A major incident has now been declared and a gold command unit has been established.
"We would advise members of the public that they 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.
"A further update will be provided in due course."
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "We were called at 1.43pm on Sunday 26 March 2023 by Poole Harbour Commissioners informing the Force of an oil leak in Poole Harbour.
"The incident is being led by Poole Harbour Commissioners and at this time there is no requirement for police attendance. We will continue to liaise with our partner agencies and offer support if required."
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council said: "We're supporting Poole Harbour Commissioners and other agencies to respond to this incident."
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We have received reports of a large amount of oil in Poole Harbour and we are supporting the port authority and other partners in responding to this incident.”
Perenco UK’s incident management team was activated immediately to the leak and 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.”
