Poole harbour oil spill has potential to cause substantive damage

Area supports an abundance of species, from rare and endangered birds to seagrass meadows

Poole harbour is one of the most strictly protected environmental areas in the UK and Europe, but as the frantic clean-up taking place on Monday showed, it is not immune to pollution from oil spills.

As a site of special scientific interest, a European special area of conservation and a marine protection zone, the harbour and its waters support an abundance of species, from rare and endangered birds to the seagrass meadows in its waters that are carbon sinks.