California declares state of emergency after oil spill

A state of emergency has been declared in southern California in the US after two oil slicks formed off the coast.

The move on Wednesday night frees up emergency state funding and resources to help in the clean-up efforts

The oil spill has fouled beaches and threatened wildlife along a scenic stretch of the California coast spread across 14km of ocean as cleanup efforts began and federal regulators investigated how the pipeline leaked.

Up to 400,000 litres spilled from an onshore pipe and a fifth of that, 80,000 litres, reached the sea, according to estimates provided by officials.

Crude was flowing through the pipe at 84,000 gallons an hour when the leak was first detected on Tuesday.

It took three hours to shut down, though company officials did not say how long it leaked before it was discovered or discuss the rate at which oil escaped.