US govt hands BP €56m bill for oil slick

The American government has handed BP a €56m bill to cover the initial cost of the oil spill.

A destroyed pipe has been leaking into the Gulf of Mexico since April.

BP has managed to lower a containment cap onto the ruptured oil well.

It will be some time before we know if it has been successful.

President Obama last night said that the slick could affect a whole region's way of life for years.