Dr. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Defence what was the origin of the extensive area of oil pollution 282W issuing from Haslar Creek and spreading across the entrance of Portsmouth Harbour on Saturday morning 23rd March.
§ Mr. FoleyI can find no evidence of an extensive area of oil pollution. It sometimes happens, however, that the oil film from Portsmouth Harbour is brought into Haslar Creek by the tide and later flows out with the ebb. This effect may have caused the report of oil pollution. Certainly there are no reports of any Royal Navy ship discharging oil on that morning.