A British conservation group has demanded tighter controls on tankers in the wake of the Erika oil slick in Brittany.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the European Union should implement stricter rules governing the safety of ships in its waters.

The Erika spilled more than 10 million litres of oil when it broke in two on 12 December in severe weather off the north-west coast of France.

The charity's call echoes demands from other environmental agencies for single-hull tankers such as the Erika to be banned from European waters.

It follows disclosures that oil companies Shell and Amoco BP had refused to charter the Erika on safety grounds.

TotalFina, the company which had chartered the 25-year-old ship, has come under criticism for using such an old vessel.

The Italian-owned ship had been carrying a so-called flag of convenience from Malta, a practice which allows merchant ships to profit from less restrictive regulations.

The French Transport Ministry said a corroded bulkhead on the ship was the likely cause of the sinking.

'100,000 dead'

The RSPB said 60,000 birds so far are known to have been killed by the spill, with a total death toll expected to reach about 100,000.

"Probably a large proportion of those are going to be British birds," said RSPB spokesman Chris Harbard.

The worst affected species was the guillemot, which spends winters in France and summers on the Welsh coast, particularly Pembrokeshire.

Mr Harbard said: "There's probably 50,000 guillemots out there which have been hit by this.

"That could represent half of the Irish Sea's young birds for this year - a huge amount."

The RSPB said the damage would be particularly noticeable at the species' breeding colonies, with fewer juveniles returning to mate.

"We're very worried that in years to come we're going to see fewer birds on the ledges," said Mr Harbard.

Large numbers of razorbills, gannets and eiders were also killed, and smaller numbers of puffins, shags and cormorants.

Brink of bankruptcy

The RSPB is appealing for cash to help its French counterpart, La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), which has run out of funds.

The LPO has already spent �700,000 on rescuing thousands of injured sea birds and sending them to sanctuaries, and burying fatalities.

It also has to feed and accommodate 600 volunteers who are still trying to clean up the coast.

Some of the surviving birds have been flown to the UK for treatment, and while some have not survived many have made a good recovery.