Telegraph uk oil slick
© Associated PressThe amount of oil gushing from BP's ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico could increase twelve fold under a worse case scenario
The amount of oil gushing from BP's ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico could increase twelve fold under a worse case scenario, executives from the company told the US Congress.

The well is currently spewing 5,000 barrels a day, or about 210,000 gallons, but that figure could reach 60,000 barrels a day, equivalent to 2.5 million gallons a day, if efforts to stop the leaks fail.

The figure was given in a briefing by executives from BP and Transocean, which owned the sunken Deepwater Horizon rig, to the Congress House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Ed Markey, a Democrat Congressman from Massachusetts on the committee, said they were told the worst case scenario could see the level of oil rise to 40,000 barrels, or even 60,000 barrels a day.

Mr Markey said there had not been good enough preparation for a worst case scenario.

In a plan filed with the government last year BP said it had the capability to handle a "worst-case scenario" of 162,000 barrels a day.

The British oil giant believes it will be able to stop the leaking crude using a giant metal dome structure which will be lowered to the sea floor and may be in place within a week.