Oil that leaked into the sea from a platform off Shetland is no longer visible, according to BP.

About 95 tonnes of oil spilled from the Clair platform on Sunday, 46 miles west of Shetland in the North Atlantic.

The oil was last seen moving away from land and was reportedly dispersing naturally with “minimal” impact on local wildlife.

A fault in a system designed to separate oil and water is believed to be responsible for the leak and the Clair field will remain offline until the cause is identified.

A BP spokesman said: “A total of seven surveillance flights have so far been carried out with the latest data showing no visible signs of oil on the sea surface.

“This is supported by satellite images of the area and suggests continued rapid and significant natural evaporation and dispersion.

“In addition to continuing aerial surveillance and oil spill modelling, once weather conditions allow, BP will take water samples from the area at surface and various depths.”

He added: “It is considered that the most appropriate response remains to allow the oil to continue to disperse naturally at sea, but contingencies for other action have been prepared and are available.”

Source: stv.tv