IT WOULD seem that despite its best efforts, BP is still struggling with the oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

US President Obama seems to be set on turning this unfortunate episode into a anti-BP circus with stringent demands for the clean-up operation, which is fair to a point, but were Exxon also tasked after the Exxon Valdiz disaster in the same manner?

No, they were not. That spill took place on March 24, 1989, 21 years ago.

The clean-up is still continuing in places. Crude oil is still evident in many Alaskan coastal areas and the pollution threat to wildlife remains to this day.

Exxon dragged their feet through the courts and many businesses and lives were devastated.

Many claimants have died without receiving compensation, while many others just gave up. Different rules, it would seem, for Johnny Foreigner.

The rig in question, which was American-owned, American-built, American-sited and mostly American-staffed is now a thorn in BP’s side, despite its best efforts to find a solution.

However, Obama is stirring up negative spin towards BP. Perhaps the British public could do the same tit-for-tat and boycott Esso (owned by Exxon) stations in return, as a token gesture.

I know I will.

It has become obvious that David Cameron does not want to get too involved in this issue, probably due to the gravity of issues at home, however Cameron should defend BP before it becomes a scapegoat.

Louisiana was also devastated in the recent past by hurricanes, yet the Bush and now Obama administrations have dragged their heels over rebuilding David Cameron spoke a lot about fairness in the run-up to the General Election.

I hope that he sticks to that and ensures that BP are treated fairly by a US president who, at the moment, seems anything but fair, and has seized on this disaster as a vehicle to bolster his flagging reputation at home.

STEVE PLANT, Thorney Leys, Witney