Southport,Ainsdale and Formby beaches to be hit by oil slick in the next few days after leakage

A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of an oil leakage off the North Wales coast.

“Owing to currents and weather forecasts in the next 24 hours, we expect to see deposits, in the form of ‘tar balls’ washing up on our coastline as a result of this incident.

“While this type of incident is rare, Sefton Council and its partner agencies have robust plans in place to ensure any contamination or disruption to our coastline is minimal.

“We will be supporting ENI UK Limited’s clean up teams in the coming weeks to remove any potential contamination.

“Posters have been erected along our coastline to inform visitors to our beach of this issue and we would ask that dogs are kept supervised at all times.

“We would also stress that removal of this waste should only be carried out by professionals, and we ask that members of the public do not attempt to remove any ‘tar ball’ deposits.

“If you come across these deposits, in the first instance please call 0151 934 2961 to report this to the Rangers at Green Sefton.

For more information on this and guidance, please visit www.Sefton.gov.uk/oilspill