The landslide at the northern end of La Coupee, which has put La Grande Greve out of bounds. (Picture by Tony Rive 0893657)
A PATH to one of Sark’s most popular beaches is likely to be permanently re-routed following a major landslide.
The slip blocked the path to La Grande Greve, next to La Coupee, which has been sealed off since the incident on 4 December.
Douzaine chairman Conseiller Edric Baker said nothing more could be done until the area had stabilised.
‘We are playing a bit of a waiting game at the moment. We have to wait until the area consolidates before we can do anything down there,’ he said.
Mr Baker said they needed a long dry spell.
He said that at the moment all they could do was guess what would happen, but it was likely the path would have to be diverted for the safety of the public.
He said immediately following the landslide there were a number of large cracks in the rock face.
Those weakened areas have since fallen, but they cannot be sure there is not more to come.
‘The worst thing we could do at the moment is put people down there,’ said Mr Baker.
He said islanders wanted to reopen the path and they probably had enough volunteers to do it, but it was not safe.
Since the incident, he said the douzaine had been flooded with messages of support from specialists in the field. These included a geologist who discovered fault lines in the area during a survey he completed in the island in recent years.
Rain is thought to have caused the slip, which happened during the night.
The beach is unlikely to be open for next summer.
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Article posted on 30th December, 2009 - 1.00pm
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