Cost of oil spill tops $6 billion as hole is plugged

Although the damage the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has done to the environment is the subject of much debate, nobody is arguing about just how much the incident has damaged the oil company's finances.

BP has reported that as the company and its specialists work to clean up the spill, the financial wizards at the group can announce that the total cost of the spill so far has reached over $6.1 billion.

This includes some $319 million in compensation paid to the US Government and a number of other organizations. BP has also confirmed that no oil is leaking into the Gulf following a successful effort to plug the well on July 15.