OIL SPILL LATEST: Ferry service back up and running

It was suspended 'until further notice' after oil began to wash up at Bispham last Sunday, and from Blackpool to Knott End from last Monday, leaving the ferry slipway too dangerous to use.

A spokesman for Wyre Council said: "The Fleetwood to Knott End ferry service is operating again and we are monitoring each tide for pollutants on the ferry slip."

The bathing water at Blackpool, Bispham, Cleveleys, and Fleetwood remain off limits, while the shellfish beds at Knott Spit and Sea Centre South in Knott End are also still closed, the council added.

Some 19 tonnes of waste, made up of oil, sand, and stone, have been removed from the coastline since the spill, which oil giant Eni has accepted responsibility for.

It said between two and 20 tonnes was released from an off-shore storage tanker in Liverpool Bay earlier this month. It informed authorities immediately and has been working with specialists to clear up the mess.