Poole Harbour: major incident declared over leak from oil field

A major incident has been declared after about 200 barrels of reservoir fluid leaked into the water at Poole Harbour in Dorset.

The leak was from a pipeline at the nearby Wytch Farm refinery, the largest onshore oilfield in western Europe.

Poole Harbour Commissioners has activated its oil spill plan and the pipeline has been shut down, with booms placed on either side of the leak.

“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,” the agency said in a statement to BBC.

The area is a haven for wildlife and has been designated a site of special scientific interest.

Philip Broadhead, the leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, tweeted: “A major incident has been declared due to an oil leak from the Wytch Farm oilfield. All partner agencies are working closely together to ensure all measures needed are being enacted.”

In a statement, Broadhead said it was an “emerging situation”.

“The Wytch Farm oilfield in the Purbecks has been operating since 1979 and is one of the largest onshore oilfields in Europe,” he said. “We have today been advised by the operators that there has been a leak from the facility. Whilst this has been contained, we are told that oil has escaped into the water and surrounding area.

“We are liaising closely as part of long-established mechanisms with a variety of parties as this situation unfolds.

“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.”

Perenco UK, which operates Wytch Farm, said there had been a “limited” leak and a clean-up operation was under way.

A statement from the firm said: “Perenco UK confirms that there has been a limited oil leak at one of its well sites in its Wytch Farm operations in Dorset. Perenco UK’s incident management team was activated immediately, the leak was stopped and booms deployed as an additional containment to protect Poole Harbour.

It said a clean-up operation was under way.

Franck Dy, Perenco UK’s Wytch Farm general manager, said: “Any spill is an extremely serious matter and a full investigation will be launched … 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.”

Reuters and PA Media contributed to this report