The US government and BP proclaimed a turning point in the battle to combat the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on Wednesday, with the UK oil company claiming it had reached a “significant milestone” in its efforts to seal the well.

BP announced its latest attempt to plug the leak had been a success, while a new government report said that three-quarters of the spilt oil had disappeared.

“The long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is close to coming to an end,” said president Barack Obama. “Our recovery efforts, though, will continue. We have to reverse the damage that's been done. We will continue to work to hold polluters accountable for the destruction they've caused,” he added, keeping up the pressure on BP more than 100 days after the accident in April which killed 11.