Veteran British actress Joanna Lumley is joining efforts to remedy the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico by providing officials with a special oil-attracting 'mattress' to mop up the mess.

The eco-activist began investing in the Frogmat, an invention by British creator Ken Frogbrook, 20 years ago after realising its potential to clean up oil.

The straw mattressing is rolled out around the polluted coastline to absorb oil, soaking up the slick and helping clean the water.

The Frogmat also helps slippery oil-covered wildlife pull themselves out of the water.

The Absolutely Fabulous star is proud the product she has backed for so many years is now being used by British Petroleum bosses to help clean-up the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which has been ruled one of the worst environmental disasters in American history.

She tells U.K. TV host Graham Norton, "This is brilliant, we're talking about oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, in Louisiana and Florida where they are just waiting for that oil to come through.

"This was invented by a man called Ken Frogbrook, I joined him maybe 15-20 years ago to support him. It's straw mattressing which rolls out and out like a magic carpet and drags oil towards it and then you roll it and it's like oil-soaked mattressing which can then be used for fuel.

"Now we are sending two machines out at the request of BP to spread this mattressing along the (coast) and not only does it help clean the water, it gives the wildlife something to step onto. You've probably seen the plastic ones, and the poor little things can't get on with their oily feet, but because this is made of straw, it means they can get out of the oil and the stuff biodegrades at the end of it if you don't pick it up."

