This message at Cobo is clear enough but a mother said there were no signs att he most popular access point to the beach at Bordeaux.
PUBLIC services admitted yesterday that it has no idea when it will stop sewage contaminating local beaches.
It has no spares for the fractured pipe causing the pollution and may have to have one specially made in the UK.
Although that has been ordered, no delivery date has been confirmed and that could take weeks or even months.
Meanwhile, Environmental Health is to step up water quality monitoring on Guernsey beaches and the incident, including the flooding of neighbouring properties and the island-wide pollution scare will be investigated by the Scrutiny Committee.
Head of waste services Allan Powell said the parts needed to repair the pipe would have to come from a UK supplier.
‘Engineers have already placed an order, but no firm delivery date has been given,’ he said. ‘That will depend on whether it has to be custom-manufactured, which is not yet clear.
‘It is too early to say how much the repairs will cost, but it will be covered under the States’ insurance policy,’ he said.
The Belle Greve pumping station usually disperses wastewater for 90% of properties in the island and in wet weather its maximum flow can exceed 1,000 litres per second.
At present, the sewage usually pumped to sea via the Red Lion outfall is being released via other pipes around the island, which is causing the beach pollution.
Public Services said it was impossible to say when the crack in the pipe first appeared, but an initial inspection indicated that it had been there for some time.
The department suggested a number of factors might have contributed to the breach, including recent work on the new auxiliary pumping station.
‘Some ground above the pipe has been excavated in recent weeks. Although it was not damaged in the course of this work, the removal of some of the earth could have reduced the external pressure being exerted on the pipe,’ said a spokesman.
The suggestion is that as the tide rose on Sunday, the pumps began to operate at higher pressure, forcing open the crack and causing the flooding.
The pipe, which is made of iron, was three metres underground.
Public Services said work would be carried out as quickly as possible so that normal operations could be resumed.
The spokesman said households affected by the flooding would need to claim on their insurance and it would be up to their insurer to decide whether it wished to make a claim against the States’ insurers.
Article posted on 6th August, 2008 - 2.30pm
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6 Article Comments
This only goes to show what a disgrace it is that there is no sewage treatment of any sort. I am amazed that there has not been more public outcry and surely there will now be the political will to safeguard watersport enthusiasts in Guernsey and as importantly our tourist industry.
What are we supposed to do now - stay out of the sea for how long? Very little public guidance being given on the real dangers.
We need a new sewage plant but this keeps falling on deaf ears. They keep throwing good money down the drain and the Guernsey people are paying the price. I live along Les Banques, not only is the traffic a nightmare for all but the smell is sickening. I watched as they pump millions of litres of raw sewage in to the bay. In this day and age this should not be allowed or even happening. Guernsey people are paying for it in the pocket and with our health.
That sign at Cobo was deliberately misleading to reduce panic but put people at risk of infection.
It should have told the truth ”Danger of Infection - Raw Sewage Discharged - Do Not Swim”.
Hypothetically, would the person who wrote the sign allow their young children to swim there until tests prove the water to be safe?
Probably not!
I see that there is an astonishing note on the front of the press website about a story today from tourism saying “no one has complained” about the polution. They should get out more. I go to the UK every week on business and without fail this summer I have had a comment or a snigger about the sewage issue in Guernsey from friends and contacts in England. I know alot of people who won’t complain, they just won’t come here. It is astonishing ostrich behaviour to deny that there is much damage to Guernsey’s reputation being done. Wake up folks - people ARE talking about it OFF island. After the Jersey child abuse scandal, Sark’s consitutional story and the sale of Herm - All the Islands are on the UK press radar at the moment and the sewage issue is being covered extensively. Simply, people outside the island have been asking me if Guernsey stinks all over the island or just on the coast. No complaints huh? Certainly not, just no tourists……… one more nail in the coffin because of dithering decision making.
Anon
I too was astonished with the Tourism comment.
Why make such a cras statement. Do they assume from this there was / is no problem? Don’t they ever drive along the Banques?
Surely it would have been better to have said something on the lines of good the problem was being sorted out, and that Guernsey would do everything to ensure visitors have a good welcome.
I am from the UK and our family has been coming to Guernsey almost every year since the early 70’s. NOT THIS YEAR! There you go - a proper complaint from a UK tourist.
We provisionally booked into the newly-built apartments at Grandes Rocques, but after hearing the alarming news about your ‘problem’, we didn’t bother confirming our booking. We make a special effort to save for Guernsey - it’s not the cheapest of destinations. Space is obviously an issue on the island, but there must be somewhere around Belle Greve Bay that a treatment plant could be built? Sewage is practically drinkable here before its put back into the river system. A third world sewage system with your Island’s wealth is just astonishing! Not coming back ’til it’s sorted!
‘Concerned’. Russel & Sheila Clark from Bath UK.