There have been 69 reported incidents of oil and chemical spills in the North Sea during the last three months, figures have revealed.

A total of 18 companies have been named in the table of incidents published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The most recent one reported was the Total gas leak at the Elgin platform on March 25, with its status described as "under review".

BP and Shell were among the companies listed, with BP reporting the highest number of incidents at 23. Other companies included EnQuest, British Gas and Nexen.

Dr Richard Dixon, the director of WWF Scotland, said: "People will be shocked to learn that there have been so many spills in such a short time.

"Operating in the North Sea is tough but the companies involved should be ashamed of this catalogue of faulty valves, operator mistakes and broken hoses. Read more;