Hayward, who had been carefully coached by legal and media teams, frustrated the committee with his 'lack of candour'

BP chief executive Tony Hayward felt the full-on wrath of a powerful committee of the US Congress today, determined to bring him to account for what it called an astonishing culture of "corporate complacency" that has led to America's worst environmental catastrophe.

In the 59 days since the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Hayward has been transformed into one of the most hated men in the US, and the ferocity of the encounter between him and the House of Representatives committee on energy and commerce was much-anticipated. As one committee member noted: "The anger at BP is at fever pitch. It's almost palpable."

The committee has been conducting an aggressive inquiry into the gusher, and called Hayward in to answer specific charges of suspected safety lapses and shortcuts in the design plan of the well in the days before the explosion on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon rig.

But Hayward, who had been carefully coached by legal and media teams and was testifying under oath, failed to satisfy.

"The committee is extremely frustrated with your lack of candour," Bart Stupak, who is leading the investigation, told him. "You are the CEO. You have a PhD. We hope you have more candour in your responses."

The reprimand was just a taste of the rancour towards Hayward. He was told by angry committee members that BP had a history of cavalier disregard for environmental rules and workers' safety.

Hayward's claims to have ushered in a new regime of safety after taking over as chief executive of the company in 2007 were plainly ridiculed.

"When I heard of the explosion in the Gulf, the name that immediately popped into my mind was BP," said Stupak.

Panel member Steve Scalise holds a photo of a pelican - the state bird of Louisiana - covered in oil, as he questions BP chief executive Tony Hayward. Photograph: Haraz N Ghanbari/AP

But the committee's search for answers was repeatedly frustrated by Hayward, who denied any involvement in or prior knowledge of the ill-fated decisions about the well that led to the blow-out.

"I was not part of the decision making process on this well," he said. "I had no prior knowledge."

Hayward had multiple variations on the same theme: that he had no direct involvement or knowledge of problems on the Deepwater Horizon, even though engineers lower down in BP's hierarchy had spoken about a "nightmare well".

He clung to his argument that it would be premature to comment until investigations had run their course. However, he did allow that BP was pursuing seven lines of inquiry into the disaster, focusing on the cement casing of the well and well control procedures, as well as the failed blow-out preventer safety device.

His answers, all delivered in flat, impassive tones, infuriated committee members. "You are kicking the can down the road," said Henry Waxman, the chairman of the committee. "I find that irresponsible."

Ed Markey, who chairs the subcommittee on global warming, snapped: "Your equivocation is not reassuring." Even the Republican members were frustrated. "You are copping out," said Phil Gingrey. "It seems like your testimony has been way too evasive."

Today's session in Congress looked set to erase whatever modest rehabilitation in BP's image was affected by the company's decision to pay $20bn into an independently managed fund to pay victims of the disaster.

But in one glimmer of hope, the US official overseeing the administration's response to the spill said that the drilling of a relief well meant to staunch the gusher was proceeding ahead of schedule.

Hayward admitted to the committee that a relief well would be the only sure way of stopping the gusher.