Bathing pools director seeks to reassure swimmers
BBCA sewage leak and wider concerns over water quality have made for a challenging period at Guernsey's Bathing Pools, its operators say.
The Ladies' Pool was forced to close earlier this month after foul drainage from toilets reached the water, against a backdrop of separate concerns about sewage and water quality along the island's east coast.
Vive La Vallette operations director Helen Bonner-Morgan said the situation had caused disappointment, but reassured swimmers measures were now in place to prevent more drainage issues.
She said: "For anyone who is still apprehensive about returning, we completely understand... people want to feel confident that somewhere they swim is safe."
'Timing was challenging'
Bonner-Morgan said the closure had been difficult given the work that had gone into transforming the site into somewhere people could enjoy and "feel proud of".
"Closing the Ladies' Pool for those days was the right decision, but it was regrettable," she said.
"But the overriding feeling at the time was that we, the States and Environmental Health all had a responsibility to act cautiously and put the safety and confidence of swimmers first."
The closure followed a "poor" water quality result, with a dye test later showing foul drainage from toilets was escaping into the pool.
Bonner-Morgan said she wanted to reassure swimmers that "Environmental Health would not have reopened the Ladies' Pool unless they were satisfied it was appropriate to do so."
Bonner-Morgan said the incident came at a difficult time because of wider concerns about sewage along Guernsey's east coast.
Earlier this year, a faulty outfall was found to be discharging untreated sewage at Soldier's Bay closer to shore than intended, while a water quality test at Havelet Bay was later rated "poor".
Environmental Health said there was no direct evidence linking the Havelet result to the outfall.
Bonner-Morgan said: "I completely understand why people connected the two issues, but what we experienced at the Ladies' Pool was a specific, localised drainage issue."
She said maintaining the historic tidal site brought challenges, including ageing drainage and shared cesspit arrangements.
Bonner-Morgan said continued investment in the infrastructure behind Guernsey's community assets was important.
"For us, the priority is simple, to keep the Ladies' Pool open, safe and enjoyable for the community for generations to come," she said.
Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.
