DORSET was today on alert after more oil leaked from the stricken container ship Napoli.

Nearly 2,000 seabirds were affected when about 200 tonnes of oil leaked from the vessel when she was first grounded off the Devon coast in January.

The Napoli has just been refloated after 58,000 tonnes of seawater were pumped from the ship, but she had to be regrounded near Sidmouth at the weekend when divers found huge hull cracks which would have made it impossible to tow her.

A spreading sheen of oil leaked from the vessel on to nearby Branscombe Beach and seven heavily-oiled birds were found with the RSPCA saying they expected more to be affected.

Nick Tomlinson, who manages the RSPB's reserves at Radipole and Lodmoor in Weymouth, urged anyone finding an oiled bird along the Dorset coast to report it immediately to the RSPCA. He added: "As far as we are aware there is no oil along this part of the coast but people need to be alert."

The RSPCA has only recently released 500 guillemots into the wild after they were covered in oil in January when the Napoli was initially grounded.

Senior scientific officer Tim Thomas said: "It is very sad that this has happened again but our staff will do everything we can to give the birds the best possible chance of survival."

Salvage crews have turned their efforts towards attempting to part the two sections of the Napoli to give them further disposal options.

A coastguard spokesman said the 'unfortunate' oil spill had affected 200 metres of the tideline at Branscombe. He added: "Contractors are monitoring that and liaising with land owners and local authorities to determine what action to take."

The National Trust - which owns the beach - described the leak as 'devastating' and said it was concerned that the now emptied container ship had again been beached within a World Heritage site.

A spokesman said: "We have asked the contractors on site to urgently deal with any oil and we are placing signs alerting the public.

"The National Trust will now want to be fully satisfied that the environment and local communities' interests are properly protected in deciding on how the wreck of the Napoli is to be disposed of."