New photographs have shown the scale of devastation after the oil spill in Poole as a black mass spread throughout a river.
Members of the public have been urged to avoid using the water and beaches within Poole Harbour, Dorset as a leak led to a major incident being declared.
Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC), which regulates activities in the harbour, confirmed that a leak had occurred at an underwater pipeline operated by gas company Perenco on Sunday.
Perenco, who operate the large onshore oil field at Wytch Farm, said late last night that a "small" amount of reservoir fluid (which consists of 85% water and 15% oil) had escaped from its pipeline and that some of it had already been recovered.
