Oil slick could affect parts of Lancashire coast after fuel pipe suffers failure

An oil pipeline that supplies fuel to the Isle of Man from Conwy in North Wales suffered a failure on Monday, February 14.

Oil company Eni confirmed there was "a release of hydrocarbons" approximately 33km from the North Wales Coast as a result.

"The Conwy and Douglas line was shut immediately and remains off," a spokesman for Eni added.

"All relevant authorities were promptly informed.

"There is no impact to any personnel on the installations."

There were reports that the coastline in Lancashire was being monitored for oil slicks following the incident.

A spokeswoman for Blackpool Council said: "We are aware and any announcements would be made from the Coastguard Service.

"We are monitoring our coastlines for any spillage being washed up."

Wyre Council also confirmed they were aware of the incident and were monitoring the situation.

"Reports at the moment suggest it won't be a slick but rather tar balls at this time," a spokeswoman added.

"There have been no reports of anything in Wyre, but our officers are monitoring it along with colleagues and Merseyside authorities are leading on this."

The Environment Agency said they were working to "investigate the cause and reduce any possible impacts to the environment."

"Members of the public can report incidents of this nature to our 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60," a spokeswoman for the Environment Agency added.

Eni said a further statement would be released as more information became available.

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