Oily birds found dead off coast

Tests on the birds are being carried out by the Environment Agency

About 60 dead birds have been found covered in oil off the Isle of Wight.

Tests are being carried out by the Environment Agency after the guillemots were discovered off the island's south coast over the past few days.

Twelve swans covered in oil were also rescued at Littlehampton, Sussex, while small numbers of other injured birds were found at Selsey and Hove.

Officials said they had not yet established a link to the cargo ship Ice Prince, which sank off Dorset.

The Greek-registered ship went down about 26 miles (42km) off Portland on 15 January.

The Marine Conservation Society warned on Monday that 313 tonnes of fuel oil remained on the vessel and required urgent removal.

Beaches closed

However, it said the fuel tanks appeared at the time to be still intact.

"The Ice Prince lies adjacent to a commercial fishery for flatfish species such as plaice and sole, and seabirds such as razorbill and guillemot," a spokesman said.

Some beaches along the south coast of England remain shut after 2,000 tonnes of timber from the ship washed ashore.

The beaches, from the Sussex coast at Ferring as far east as Hastings, have been closed to prevent looters helping themselves to the wood, which is several feet deep on the tide line.

Worthing beach is the worst affected.

A salvage operation is being carried out by contractors authorised by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).