US orders BP to provide oil well cap release plan

US government has ordered BP to submit a plan for reopening its capped well in the Gulf of Mexico amid concerns that oil may be seeping from the ocean floor near the well.

The US official in charge of cleaning up the oil spill, Thad Allen, said the plan would have to be implemented as soon as possible if this was confirmed. Once the cap was released, oil would once again be funnelled to the surface.

However, BP says it will take three days to start this process. During this time, oil would be released into the sea.

The well began leaking oil into the Gulf after BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on 20 April, killing 11 workers, and capsized two days later.

BP had hoped the cap could stay in place until relief wells stop the leak for good. But with pressure readings from within the well lower than expected, scientists had raised concerns that oil could leaking into the surrounding undersea bedrock, according to BBC News.