The company that owned the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico has accused BP of withholding critical evidence needed to investigate the cause of the worst offshore spill in US history, it emerged today.

The US Congress called oil giant BP and its drilling partners to account for a “cascade of failures” behind the spreading spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

BP PLC told Congress last night its massive Gulf oil spill was caused by the failure of a key safety device made by another company.

A leading US senator has blamed "a cascade of failures" for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

US President George Bush wants Congress to aggressively expand the use of alternative fuels, mainly ethanol, to reduce the need for petrol and put the brakes on growing US oil consumption.