Oil company says pipeline leak 'can't happen again' one year on from spill in Poole

One year on from the oil spill in Poole Harbour, the company responsible for the incident says it has taken steps to prevent it happening again.

A huge clear up operation was needed to deal with about 200 barrels of water contaminated with oil which escaped from a pipeline at the Wytch Farm oil field.

In a statement the operator of the oil field, Perenco UK, says the cause of the oil spill was microbial corrosion in a buried pipeline and the recovery phase had been "successfully concluded".

Following the spill, a large area in Poole Harbour was closed to the public and floating booms were put in place to try and stop the spread of the oil.

Perenco UK says the affected pipeline remains out of service with measures being taken to protect other pipes against corrosion including the insertion of internal liners.

The fluid that leaked from the pipe was described as 'reservoir fluid', made up of 85% water and 15% oil - about 200 barrels worth. Wytch Farm produces the equivalent of about 14,000 barrels of oil every day.

The cost of the incident to the local economy and wildlife

Poole Harbour is the largest natural harbour in Europe and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its ecological importance.

RSPB Arne say they're relieved that the incident wasn't much worse. There were some oily birds, but favourable conditions meant the damage was limited.

Regional manager, Dante Munns says: "The response was quick, I think we were lucky with the weather and the tides, that the oil was able to be contained because had it not it could have been a much more catastrophic picture. But on balance as much was done as could be, but regrettable that we needed to do it."

The localised clean up of contaminated sediment and organic matter continued until January this year. The oil company says it will continue to monitor the site to assess recovery though to 2025.

The cost to local businesses is claimed to have been more than £500,000 according to a the consultant group, Hatch, in a report commissioned by local councils.

Although this is not considered significant to the local economy overall, the report does recognise that the impact would have been most felt by small independent enterprises, especially in the tourism and fishing sectors.

Pete Miles, who runs Dorset Oysters, says his business has now recovered, but getting the promised compensation from the oil company was a painful process.

He says: "We were basically put on stop for a month and we were coming out of a really slack winter period so cash flow is poor. It's really hard to put a figure on lost business. We kept our normal clients but who is to know who was put off buying stuff?"

Perenco UK has permission to drill at the Wytch Farm site until 2037, but environmental groups are calling for it to be shut down now.

The Environment Agency says it is still investigating the oil spill.

Have you heard our new podcast, Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert, and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…