§ Mr. Cordleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many incidents of oil pollution on or near the shore have been reported to his Department in the past 12 months; and if he will list each reported incident giving details of where and when they occurred, together with some indication of the amount of oil involved and the estimated cost of undertaking remedial measures.
§ Mr. Denis HowellMy Department received reports from English local authorities of 118 incidents of oil pollution on or near the shore in the 11 months from July 1975 when the maintenance of records was introduced. Reports for June 1976 are not yet available. Except in the case of major486W incidents, costs are met by the local authority concerned and no comprehensive central record is kept. I shall write to the hon. Member with details of the incidents, many of which did not require specific remedial measures.