Oil spill clear-up continues as MP demands full inquiry

Environmental experts were yesterday continuing with tests to establish the exact nature of the spillage which has affected a 15-mile stretch of the Yorkshire’s coastline.

But the Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, Robert Goodwill, called for a full inquiry to establish the source of the pollution, and prosecute those responsible.

Mr Goodwill said: “It seems this unacceptable pollution has come from a vessel that could have been dumping waste oil at sea.

“So I hope that all practical measures can be taken to try to identify the vessel which has probably caused this. In the meantime, I know the authorities are taking steps to remove the oil and minimise the effect on wildlife.

“Fortunately, this has not come at the height of the tourist season when our beaches are thronged with holidaymakers.

“You would not want a situation where a child was playing on the beach and came into contact with this oil. Hopefully, the heavy seas will disperse it.”

Officials confirmed yesterday that they hoped the worst of the spillage was over, although the exact extent of its effects on the wider marine environment remains unknown.

Surfers were ordered out of the water after they raised the alarm while at Cayton Bay, near Filey, when chunks of solidified oil – thought to have been leaked from an offshore vessel – began floating ashore on Sunday.

The tar-like globules – some the size of plates – were driven by unusually strong easterly winds onto the sands at Scarborough’s South Bay, Cornelian Bay, Cayton Bay, and Filey seafront, where the pollution reached the promenade.

Surfers Against Sewage’s regional representative Steve Crawford claimed he had never witnessed such a large oil spill coming ashore in more than a quarter of a century.

He added: “Oil and wildlife do not mix very well so there will have been an impact. They are still advising surfers not to go into the water so surfing is off the books in Scarborough. It was the worst incident in 26 years I have known of involving this sort of oil, which is like a thick, tarry substance that looks like Whitby Jet.”

A crisis team led by Scarborough Council was established by emergency planners to direct a clean-up operation to remove the oil off the beaches using shovels.

Council staff filled bags with the putty-like muck which were taken away by North Yorkshire County Council and its waste disposal contractor, Yorwaste. But agencies including HM Coastguard, RSPB, and RSPCA remain on alert in case any pockets of the oil remain trapped in the sand wash ashore later in the week.