Sandcastles OK on Fla. beach; digging for oil not

By MELISSA NELSON Associated Press Writer

NAVARRE BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Sculpting artists spent the weekend building sandcastles on a Florida Panhandle beach, even though oil from BP's massive spill remains hidden beneath the white sands.

The competition, which ended Sunday, was designed to boost tourism and erase the images of oil-stained beaches. At the height of summer, tar balls and oil paddies were still rolling ashore onto Gulf Coast beaches.

There are still bands of oil buried between 18 and 24 inches below the sand.

BP spokesman Ray Melick says Navarre Beach, where the competition is being held, is among a stretch of Panhandle that remains part of the company's clean up effort. The company is working with the Department of Interior for clearance to allow workers to use heavy machinery to remove the buried oil.