An oil spillage in the Irish sea is set to disrupt the local coastline in the upcoming weeks and months, according to Sefton Borough Council.
It is thought that almost 80,000 litres were released into the sea after a pipe leakage, approximately 20 miles from the coastline.
The fuel line has since been shut off.
Balls of congealed tar have already begun to wash up on the Lancashire coast, due to extreme weather pushing the oil inland.
Sefton Council said: “Owing to currents and weather forecasts in the next 24 hours, we may see deposits, in the form of ‘tar balls’ washing up on our coastline as a result of this incident.
“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.”
It is thought that the disruption to the Sefton coastline will be minimal.
Eni UK, who operate the pipeline, released a statement on Monday.
It said: “Eni UK Ltd confirms that a limited hydrocarbons release of less than 500 barrels occurred on Monday 14 February from its pipeline between the Conwy and Douglas installations.
“An incident management team has been mobilised and is working closely with the relevant authorities to understand the situation and minimise any effect to the environment.”
If you come across these deposits, please call 0151 934 2961 to report this to the Rangers at Green Sefton.
More information on the oil spill can be found here.
