press release
    24th September 2004

Campaigners from the clean and safe water non governmental organisation Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have welcomed the posting of beach warning signs in Havelet Bay to inform the public of possible sewage pollution over the next 5 weeks whilst repairs are undertaken on a sewage main pipe along Glategny Esplanade. SAS appealed to the State on Wednesday to post signage on those beaches that would potentially be affected having learnt that there were no precautionary plans to fix signage by the State but only to employ it if water quality samples show polluted water. Current water quality sampling techniques are time consuming and so signage is one way that bathers or recreational water users can get information quickly in order to make informed decisions for themselves about using water knowing the potential risks.

SAS welcome the State's decision to employ signage but would urge the placement of further precautionary signage at Fermain Bay. Raw or untreated sewage carries a host of bacteria and viruses that pose a risk to public health. Ear, nose and throat infections are common complaints by water users having used water polluted by sewage for bathing or recreation. More worryingly Hepatitis A, Ecoli 0157 and Meningitis are also present in sewage polluted water and have caused water users much suffering over the last 15 years.

The problem has in fact highlighted a much bigger issue of improving the island's sewerage infrastructure, which fails to treat sewage effluent to a high standard before discharge to sea. Sewage currently receives only preliminary treatment (removes grit and rags but does nothing to remove the viruses and bacteria found in human excrement) before being discharged to sea at Belle Greve. In today's society it is unacceptable to pump and dump raw sewage without treatment. The popularity of swimming and watersports on the island of Guernsey make the upgrading of the island's sewerage infrastructure to tertiary sewage treatment such as UV disinfection or microfiltration an absolute necessity. Investment in state of the art technology to improve the treatment of sewage and wastewater would open up more areas of Guernsey coastline for safe recreational water sport and also bring the island more opportunities from tourism. Jersey was the first place in the UK to embrace full sewage treatment with UV disinfection in the 90's and has seen many benefits since from the investment.

SAS Campaign's Director Richard Hardy says: "Recreational water users are calling on the State to urgently endorse a full sewage treatment programme for the island to protect both the health of its water users and the preservation of the marine environment from plumes of raw sewage" For more information please contact Richard Hardy on Tel: 01872 4583001.