Oil from the worst spill in US history could soon end up at petrol stations, construction sites and even grocery stores when BP sells the crude taken from a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico to raise money for wildlife protection.

Simon Webb, Reuters

Crude oil futures surged past $70 a barrel for the first time today as Hurricane Katrina headed toward the heart of US oil and refinery operations in the Gulf of Mexico, shutting down an estimated one million barrels of refining capacity.