Countryfile presenter Hamza Yassin was visibly horrified after visiting a Welsh town 'devastated' by the Sea Empress oil spill, which occurred 30 years ago this month. The 35-year-old wildlife cameraman said he had 'never seen anything like it' as he viewed the aftermath of the disaster that impacted 200 miles of British coastline.
On the programme, Yassin learned that on the evening of February 15, 1996, the Sea Empress ran aground at the entrance to Milford Haven, spilling thousands of tonnes of crude oil. The spill covered beaches in 72,000 tonnes of oil, requiring a massive cleanup operation. Yassin described the scene as 'an absolute disaster' and expressed sorrow for both humans and wildlife.
Archive footage showed birds so coated in oil that Yassin could not identify a common species. The disaster was exacerbated by the six days it took to move the stricken vessel. Conservationist Iolo Williams recalled the oil getting into people's skin and hair, causing red eyes.
Investigations found the grounding was due to human error, with a malfunctioning radar at Milford Haven. Gordon James, former director of Friends of the Earth in Wales, said warnings about safety cutbacks had been ignored, calling it 'a disaster waiting to happen.' The port authority was initially fined £4 million, later reduced to £750,000 on appeal.
