Perenco UK has been ordered to pay more than £6 million in compensation after spilling oil into Poole Harbour from its Wytch Farm base near Arne in Dorset three years ago.
Around £400,000 of the total will go to charities which look after local wildlife, including a scheme to protect Swanage’s threatened puffin community against predators at Spyway and Dancing Ledge.
Booms were placed at the mouth of Ower Bay, Arne, to contain the oil spill
Booms set up to contain leak
An underground pipe at Wytch Farm, corroded from inside by bacteria, released around 200 barrels of reservoir fluid, a mixture of 85 percent water and 15 percent crude oil into Ower Bay near Arne, before the incident was spotted on Sunday 26th March 2023 and contained.
The pipeline was shut down and booms, to help prevent the spread of the oil, were set up on either side of the leak on the south side of Poole Harbour.
But high tide currents carried the spill into the main harbour, which led to oily sheens on the water along Studland Bay. Swimmers were urged not to go into the water at Studland and in Poole Harbour for several days after the spill, and several dozen birds were reported with oil on their feathers.
Visitors to Studland beaches were told not to swim for several days after the incident
Repair the damage to Dorset
Now the oil company has agreed to an enforcement undertaking – an alternative to a prosecution – which will see £6.1 million paid out to put right the damage done to the Dorset environment by its major oil spill.
The package includes £620,000 to businesses like the harbour’s oyster farms, as well as £400,000 which will be spent on wildlife and access projects run by local charities.
The £6.1 million payment also includes £2.6 million towards the initial emergency response, £2.4 million to cover the cost of the clean up and £115,000 for ecological surveys since.
Perenco, which has declined to comment on the announcement, has also put in place what it calls ‘robust measures’ to ensure that a pollution incident does not happen again, decommissioning the pipe which leaked – caused by internal corrosion by microbes – and lining all other pipes.
Perenco’s Wytch Farm has a licence to drill for oil at Wytch Farm until 2037
“This will not happen again”
On the first anniversary of the incident, in March 2024, Perenco’s Wytch Farm general manager, Franck Dy, said:
“I would like to reiterate that we are sorry for the distress caused a year ago. Our goal is zero harm to the environment and, although this was quickly declassified from being a major incident, we take any environmental issue extremely seriously.
“We committed to deploying all the resources necessary and to returning the site to its original state and I am pleased to confirm that this has happened.
“After a thorough independent review into the cause of the leak, we have taken on board the appropriate lessons and clear measures have been taken to ensure that this will not happen again.”
Arne beach was one of several locations in Poole Harbour where oil washed ashore
“Sensitive habitats and species”
Environment Agency officer, Tom Fowler, said:
“A significant amount of oil leaked into the Poole harbour area, which includes sensitive habitats and species such as seagrass and saltmarsh.
“We accepted Perenco’s offer due to the significant costs the company had already spent making right the environmental damage caused, and the measures taken to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident.
“This commitment allows Perenco to put things right in a way that directly benefits the environment and local communities.
“We are pleased that the money will go towards worthwhile wildlife initiatives and the local harbour.”
A few dozen birds were oiled after the spill, including this Mute swan
“Continue to keep pressure on Perenco”
Brian Bleese, chief executive of Dorset Wildlife Trust, said:
“It is good news, indirectly, although I would rather it hadn’t happened. It caused serious local damage and our key concern is to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
“As long as there is drilling and oil extraction in the area, we need to keep an eye on it, while doing our best to improve the water quality.
“We will continue to keep pressure on Perenco – this is not letting them off the hook, it is making sure that they are compensating effectively.”
A number of black headed gulls were also affected by the oil spill
“Support nature’s recovery”
Brian Bleese added:
“We will deliver a range of projects which will support the quality of water flowing into Poole Harbour, including an enclosed beaver trial, the Dorset Peat Project, Brownsea Island lagoon restoration and Lyscombe Nature Reserve wetland restoration.
“Poole Harbour is one of the UK’s most important places for wildlife and people, but it does have water quality problems and we will use this funding to try to address some of those problems.
“Dorset Wildlife Trust will use this funding to deliver a suite of high-impact conservation projects that improve water quality, restore wetlands, and support nature’s recovery across Poole Harbour and its wider catchment.”
Swanage’s puffin colony will benefit from some of the compensation money
Other projects to benefit include:
- A contribution to the Birds of Poole Harbour, to help protect the puffins of Dancing Ledge and Spyway against predators, and towards the reintroduction of the red billed chough.
- A contribution to The Friends of Dolphin, towards a new boat that provides access to the harbour for those with disabilities.
- A contribution to Wild Bird Rescue Dorset towards its charity shop, new sheds for shelter, and upgraded quarantine facilities for recovering birds.
- A payment to Poole Harbour Commissioners towards the Poole Harbour aquatic management plan.
Birds of Poole Harbour will use some of Perenco’s compensation to bring the red billed chough back to Dorset
Small, volunteer run charity
Joe Parker, for Birds of Poole Harbour, said:
“We undertake work to monitor the populations of birds using Poole Harbour, to bring back species that have historically become extinct and to show the amazing eco-systems and wildlife spectacles that Poole Harbour has to offer to the public.
“This money will be used to support projects aligned with those objectives.”
And Sandy Becker, founder of Wild Bird Rescue Dorset, based near Wareham Forest, said:
“As a small, volunteer run rescue group, we are incredibly grateful for this support.
“This funding will make a genuine difference to the welfare of the birds in our care by helping us improve facilities, create safer recovery spaces, and strengthen fundraising through our charity shop for the future.”
Extinction Rebellion protested on Poole Quay and at Wytch Farm after the spill
“Enough is enough”
Extinction Rebellion protested in Poole Harbour and at Perenco against the oil spill, and spokesperson Daniel Glennon said:
“Two years after the oil spill, Perenco is still drilling in Poole Harbour, still making vast profits at the expense of our environment, and still polluting communities across the world. We say, enough is enough. Perenco must go.
“Dorset Council, the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive must stop prioritising corporate profits over the health of our waters, wildlife, and future generations and revoke Perenco’s licence to operate in Dorset.”
Further information
- Read about the work of Dorset Wildlife Trust on its website
