TV handyman in a fix over oil leak

“Home Improvement” star Tim Allen will be on the hook for environmental cleanup costs after his yacht started leaking oil into Lake Michigan over the holiday weekend.

According to Michigan news site MLive, a faulty fuel seal on Mr. Allen’s yacht led to 30 to 50 gallons of diesel leaking into the water by the marina at Northport, Michigan, on Sunday.

Mr. Allen, who played accident-prone handyman Tim Taylor for eight seasons, didn’t notice the leak until he pulled into the marina, but when he became aware he pulled the fuse on the boat’s bilge pump to stop it ejecting any more fuel, the local fire chief said, according to MLive.

“He did a lot of things right himself,” the site quoted the chief saying.

Dockhands acted quickly to absorb the spill and limit the damage, but the marina still had to be closed down for 12 hours, the site said. Mr. Allen will be responsible for paying for the cleanup and he has hired an environmental response crew, it said.

Mr. Allen told reporters he felt “very uncomfortable” closing the harbor for everyone, MLive said.