A company has agreed to pay £6.1m following an oil spill in Poole Harbour.
The Environment Agency confirmed that Perenco UK Ltd will fund environmental recovery and community projects after oil leaked from a pipeline at Ower Bay in March 2023.
The incident happened when a pipe carrying a mixture of oil and water developed a breach after corrosion progressed faster than expected, allowing a significant amount of oil to enter Poole Harbour.
The financial package includes £2.6m spent on the initial incident response, £2.4m on clean up work and £115000 for ecological surveys carried out following the spill.
A further £620000 has been paid to impacted parties including commercial seafood beds that were closed during the initial pollution assessment, along with £400000 for wildlife and access projects run by local organisations.
The agreement was made through an enforcement undertaking, which allows companies to fund environmental restoration instead of facing prosecution.
Environment Agency officer Tom Fowler said the commitment allows the company to “put things right in a way that directly benefits the environment and local communities”.
Share us with your friends on social media, and have a listen to Bournemouth One online and on DAB for all your local news, traffic, jobs, weather, coastal info and more.
Register below for free regular updates via email.