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Havelet water rated 'poor' in most recent test

John Fernandez Guernsey political reporter
News imageBBC Havelet Bay - A picture of the blue sea, with a few sail small boats with their anchor dropped to the left aqnd a large grey yacht to the right. In the background Castle Cornet is pictured, a granite fortress, with the Castle Emplacement rolling down the left. BBC
The four-year average for water quality ratings at Havelet from Environmental health is "excellent"

The most recent water quality test results at Guernsey's Havelet Bay have been rated poor, according to the Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation (OEHPR).

It follows the revelation that a sewage outfall close to Havelet has been faulty, leading to sewage being discharged near the shore.

Critics said the were "shocked" at the situation and more infrastructure investment was needed.

OEHPR director Tobin Cook said there was "no direct evidence that the water quality at Havelet was related to Soldier's Bay" and the best measure of quality was the four-year average, which for Havelet was "excellent". Guernsey Water said an outfall pipe was being replaced.

Earlier this year, Deputy Andy Cameron raised concerns about the outfall pipe, which takes sewage from Fort George to Soldier's Bay.

Guernsey Water only discovered the pipe at Soldier's Bay was faulty after the BBC shared drone footage of the outfall discharging waste closer to shore.

Cameron has put pressure on OEHPR to put up a sign near the outfall to deter swimmers from going near the pipe.

News imageA drone image of the cliff face at Soldier's Bay. It shows the outfall pipe, covered in brown granite. Emerging from that into the sea is brown water, which is seeping into the blue sea.
BBC drone footage identified the fault with the Fort George outfall

In a statement, Cook said, out of 13 rated by the OEHPR, eight were rated excellent in the four-year average, including Havelet and Fermain, with the rest meeting or exceeding the required standard.

He said: "Seeing the occasional weekly result that doesn't meet the required standard is not unexpected and we would be more concerned if we were seeing results consistently below this, which is why we continue to monitor results.

"Weekly results at the ladies' bathing pool and Fermain, which are closer to Soldier's Bay, were rated 'excellent' over the same time period.

"Recent results from Soldier's Bay have only shown one poor rating, with the rest being compliant."

The most recent test at Havelet was on 7 July.

According to the OEHPR, "13 of Guernsey's beaches are tested every year against standards conforming to the EU Bathing Water Quality Directive 2006".

The directive sets standards for Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci.

These pathogens are tested for because they can show whether water has been contaminated by human or animal faeces and if it might contain harmful pathogens that could make people ill.

News imageSean Slattery - A man with a bald head, and his bare chest exposed in the water at the Bathing Pools. He has wispy blonde chest hair and is wearing blue and black swim shorts.
Sean Slattery swims at the Bathing Pools every day

Swimmers at the Bathing Pools told the BBC they were stunned at the news the latest water quality result was categorised as "poor".

Marina Burr, who runs the Blue Tits swimming group, said she was "absolutely shocked" and believed water quality issues were linked to the broken outfall.

Swimmer Burr said she had been keeping an eye on the water results since Guernsey Water confirmed the pipe was faulty.

Reacting to the poor water quality result at Havelet, she said she felt "ashamed".

She said: "It makes me think, when people come and ask me where do you want to go and swim, do I tell them about Havelet.

"Investment needs to be made it's going to get any better. If there's a break in or a crack in the poo pipe as we call it, you can't just leave it because it's going to get worse and it has to be addressed."

News imageMarina Burr - A woman with wispy white hair, smiling towards the camera. She is wearing blue glasses and has a necklace with a starfish on her neck. She's wearing ablue blouse.
Marina Burr says she has been monitoring the water quality at Havelet since fault at the pipe at Fort George was identified

Sean Slattery, who swims at the Bathing Pools every day, was equally critical of the latest results: "They shouldn't be just dumping it in the sea full stop. It's disgusting."

For the last three weeks, Zoe Murphy has been swimming at Havelet to train for the upcoming Castle Swim.

She said: "It's disturbing, especially when I've only just started swimming again."

She added she had taken to keeping her mouth closed during swims.

In a statement, Guernsey Water capital delivery manager Carl Falla said: "Teams from Guernsey Water and the Guernsey Ports dive team used the Sarnia workboat last week to attend the outfall, where the divers carefully removed the damaged section of pipe and took it to the surface and onto the boat.

"It has since been moved to Brickfield House, where it will be measured and a new pipe fabricated.

"Guernsey Water and Guernsey Ports are currently assessing the earliest possible feasible time for the new section of the pipe to be installed and will keep the public informed."

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