BP under further fire as shareholder sues

BP faced the growing likelihood of a class legal action from investors today after a single shareholder filed a lawsuit claiming "gross mismanagement" against it in Alaska.

The suit has been filed by lawyer Jeffrey Pickett and names BP chief executive Tony Hayward and other directors as the defendants.

It alleges that BP did not take sufficient steps to ensure safety and environmental rules were followed, citing the Gulf of Mexico rig explosion, the 2005 Texas refinery blast and BP's operations on Alaska's North Slope.

It says this has severely damaged the company's reputation and destroyed shareholder value.

Californian lawyer Patrick Coughlin said investment funds which own BP shares were considering joining the lawsuit.

"[The] defendants' disdain for safety and environmental laws, and the resulting loss of lives and property, has plunged BP into a public relations crisis," the lawsuit claims.

This has resulted in BP being "tagged as an unsafe company and gross polluter, all of which are extremely negative developments which are hurting BP's business".

Pickett sued BP in 2006 with the backing of two pension funds. That case was settled two years ago. The new suit claims BP has now breached the terms of that settlement.