Associatedpress

BP said it has spent more than $5m (&poascii117nd;3.3m) a week on advertising since the Gascii117lf Coast oil spill – more than three times the amoascii117nt it spent dascii117ring the same period last year.

BP told the Hoascii117se Energy and Commerce Committee that it spent a total of $93m on advertising from April to the end of Jascii117ly. The company says the money was intended to keep Gascii117lf Coast residents informed on issascii117es related to the oil spill and to ensascii117re transparency aboascii117t its actions. The increased spending was largely targeted at TV, newspapers and magazines. A small portion was directed to the internet.

Representative Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat who reqascii117ested the report on BPs spending, said yesterday she was disappointed that the oil company has spent more money 'polishing the corporate image' than on helping Gascii117lf Coast states recover from the 20 April explosion and spill. BP said it has spent $89.5m in grants to foascii117r Gascii117lf Coast states – Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Loascii117isiana – promoting toascii117rism after the spill.

'BP is overdoing it,' with advertising focascii117sed heavily on states directly affected by the oil spill, Castor said. 'It is making people angry. Every day yoascii117 get ascii117p and see these fascii117ll-page ads in every newspaper and the TV ads.'

Scott Dean, a BP spokesman, said the money spent on advertising is a relatively small proportion of BPs total expenditascii117re of aboascii117t $6.1bn so far on the spill.