“The oil spill is a disaster both for BP and the wider world. But it has been exacerbated by the collapse within BP, its public relations and communication with the outside world that has been terrible, really terrible,” a BP source told the newspaper.

“Svanberg should have been there, along with chief executive Tony Hayward, and shown the world that BP is doing everything in its power to clean up this mess, offering to pay the necessary compensation and be BP’s public face. He has failed them.”

The former Ericsson president has also come under fire for keeping a low profile, making only one appearance since the oil spill began a month ago.

“He should have been on the Louisiana coast together with President Obama, shown that BP takes its full responsibility for the leak. But he doesn’t appear anywhere. It is a fiasco for us,” the high-ranking BP employee said.

The source argues that BP’s future is in the national British interest and Svanberg has a responsibility to explain the situation.

“He should move around, talk to U.S. senators, British ministers, the media, and explain the situation to them. BP’s future is of British interest.”

Pressure on BP CEO Tony Hayward has begun to mount in the wake of the spill and the subsequent management of the environmental disaster. The firm announced on Saturday that the responsibility for cleaning up the spill has been handed to an American, Bob Dudley, in an attempt to offset some of the anti-British sentiment.

But according to the Independent source within the firm it is not Hayward that is the main focus of the anger over the ongoing catastrophe that several analysts argue could threaten the company itself.

“It is not Hayward, but Svanberg, who should go,” the senior source said.