The statistics - identifying the size and type of hydrocarbon releases, when they occurred and on which facility - are now available on the website of trade association Oil & Gas UK.

They are being released each quarter, three months in arrears, with the first set covering the three months to the end of June.

Oil & Gas UK’s health and safety director Robert Paterson, who has helped to drive the initiative forward, told Upstream: “This is a huge step forward.”

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