An oil spill that has hit a tourist island in the Gulf of Thailand has spread to nearby smaller isles as workers race to clean up the once-white sands and clear waters.

An oil spill has reached a popular tourist island in Thailand’s eastern sea despite continuous attempts to clean it up over the weekend.

Ford is investing $364m in a new passenger car plant in Thailand, cementing the country’s status as an Asian manufacturing base for the carmaker despite prolonged political unrest.

Thai navy personnel are struggling to clean up a 200,000-litre oil slick that threatens to pollute a popular island beach resort in eastern Thailand.