ENI energy giant must 'take action to prevent future oil spills' demands Fylde MP after second incident in five years

By Julia Bennett
Published 23rd Feb 2022, 08:29 BST
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Calls have been made for oil firm ENI to take action to prevent future spills after tar balls washed up on Fylde beaches.

Around 16,000 gallons of oil leaked from a pipeline that supplies fuel to the Isle of Man from Conwy in North Wales last week, with deposits reaching St Annes and Blackpool.

It is the second such incident to impact the Fylde coast in the past five years, prompting Fylde MP Mark Menzies to seek assurances from the energy giant this spill will be the last.

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Oil deposits washed up on Fylde beaches in 2017, with ENI accepting a leak at a storage vessel at the off-shore Douglas Complex was to blame.

Tar balls on St Annes beach were cleaned upTar balls on St Annes beach were cleaned up
Tar balls on St Annes beach were cleaned up
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Clean-up on chained-off Blackpool beach after 'tar balls' wash up from offshore ...

Mr Menzies said: “For there to be one incident is worrying, two in the space of five years is unforgivable.

“This pollution incident not only affects our beaches, it is extremely concerning given the status of the Ribble Estuary and Liverpool Bay as a whole as areas of special scientific concern.

“Had this happened in the peak of the tourism season it could have done significant damage to Fylde’s economy.”