BP to fund oil barriers

Oil Company British Petroleum says it will pay for the construction of six sand barriers off the coast of the US state of Louisiana to try to protect fragile wetlands from a huge oil slick.



BP which is battling to cap a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico says the project will cost about $360 million.



The sandbanks will join together a chain of natural offshore islands, forming a 50-mile barrier.



Meanwhile, a slick is nearing the white sand beaches of northwest Florida.