Historians looking for memories of the Torrey Canyon oil spill

Historians are looking for people who have a recollection of a major oil spill which happened in the 1960s.

The Torrey Canyon ran aground between the Scilly Isles and Land’s End in 1967 and more than 110,000 tonnes of crude oil flowed into the sea.

The incident was dealt with by the Navy and the RAF with many local volunteers helping clean-up the spilled oil from the sea and nearby beaches.

The University of Exeter are asking for people who remember the event to share their memories.

One of the historians involved in the study, Jos Smith, spoke in the Western Morning News, he said:

“We are interested in getting in touch with anyone who was there and remembers being involved, either on the Scilly Isles or on the Cornish mainland.

“Perhaps you helped in the weeks of clean-up operations afterwards. Perhaps you remember the particular impact that the incident had on the wildlife, or on the fishing, farming and tourist industries.

“Perhaps you didn’t witness the incident itself but you do remember its impact on family or community life afterwards.

“Whatever your level of involvement, and whatever your memory, we would be very interested in hearing from you.”

The university hope to create an archive of memories.