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A SEA captain ran his huge freighter aground after plotting a straight course from Scotland to Belgium, forgetting about England in between, says a new probe.

The disaster at the Farnes nature reserve in Northumberland led to fears that the 250ft MV Danio would spill 27 tonnes of diesel and 1500 tonnes of timber, threatening seabirds and a seal colony.

A BBC TV probe says the Polish captain was sailing in a straight line from Perth to Antwerp.

Says coastguard surveyor Alan Thompson: “They basically said, ‘We’ll draw a line and we’ll go the quickest way possible’ without really thinking.”

He also says the bridge alarm system was disabled.

The documentary is shown tonight at 7.30pm on BBC1 North East and Cumbria.