No major risk to sealife from syrup leak - port

The Zapadnyy leaked 300 tonnes of molasses into the harbour

Molasses that leaked into the sea after a ship ran aground is not expected to cause any significant damage to marine life, according to a port.

The Zapadnyy cargo ship ran aground outside Silloth harbour, in Cumbria, on Saturday and leaked 300 tonnes of syrup into the water.

A wildlife charity feared the spill could smother and choke animals as it sunk to the seabed.

Associated British Ports (APB) said all the molasses leaked within the port, and that it was monitoring the surrounding area.

A spokesperson for ABP, which runs Silloth harbour, said: "Based on the information we have, we believe that the cargo was all discharged within the port, an area of approximately 100,000 tonnes of water.

"In this instance, we are not expecting any significant environmental impact and ongoing monitoring of surrounding areas is being carried out at low water each day to monitor any residue effects or impacts on the local habitat waters."

Molasses is a heavy syrup that is used as an ingredient in animal feed.

Concerns were raised by the Wildlife Trust that the leak could damage nearby Allonby Bay, which is a protected marine conservation zone.

The Environment Agency confirmed it had received a report about the leak but control of the situation came under the remit of the Harbour Master at ABP.

The Zapadnyy ran aground outside Silloth harbour at about 12:00 GMT on Saturday as it travelled from Bremen, in Germany.

The port said: "ABP refloated the Zapadnyy at the earliest opportunity, returning the vessel to port, activated specialist response contractors and are continuing to engage with appropriate authorities."

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency added it was working with the port and to "identify the extent of any environmental impact".