An MP has warned of an “environmental disaster” after around 4,000 litres of diesel leaked from a bus depot storage tank in Croydon on Tuesday, leaving wildlife covered in oil.

The oil is said to have entered the River Wandle in Thornton Heath and has impacted wildlife and water quality from Wallington to Wandsworth.

Birds have been coated in oil, struggling to clean themselves and survive in the contaminated water, according to the Liberal Democrats.