Latvia's largest river had a narrow escape from its second major oil spill in a fortnight Thursday as an illegal tap in a major pipeline burst, the Latvian environment agency announced. The tap, in the main oil pipeline running from Russia to the Baltic coast, burst in the early hours of Thursday morning. By the time it was closed, over five tons of diesel had spilled into the ground, an agency press release said, according to dpa The damaged section of the pipeline lay adjacent to a drainage ditch feeding into the River Laucese, which in turn feeds into Latvia's largest river, the Daugava. "The Daugava was saved from oil pollution by a small blockage in the ditch, probably created by accident as a nearby pond was being dug," the press release said. It is the second time in a fortnight that the Daugava has been threatened with a spill of diesel from the pipeline. Last week a leak in Belarus poured diesel into another tributary of the Daugava, sending an oil slick 200 kilometres long downriver into Latvia. "The agency would like to highlight the fact that the volume of pollution, if it had reached the Daugava, would have been on the same scale as that flowing in from Belarus, if not greater," the press release warned. Thanks to the accidental dam, rescue workers were able to clear more than 5,000 litres of diesel from the polluted ground on Thursday morning, the agency said, according to dpa Latvia and Lithuania form the western terminus of a network of ageing Soviet-era pipelines which carry Russian oil to the Baltic coast. Several spills have been reported in recent years. Last July the pipeline carrying crude oil to Lithuania was shut down after springing a leak in Russia. It has not yet reopened. The pipes are also threatened by illegal activity, as criminals attempt to siphon off their contents to sell on the black market. "The number of accidents affecting the environment in Latvia is still very high. Last year, for example, 14 oil spills were caused by illegal taps in the pipeline, while in 2005 the number was 17," the agency pointed out. -- SPA
