WATCH: There's something in the water...

Wednesday 29 May 2019

Environmental Protection Officers are investigating after a video of a pungent pool of murky water featuring “Malteaser-size” brown pieces in the sea at St. Aubin’s Bay emerged and was shared hundreds of time online.

A government spokesperson said they didn’t believe the “unpleasant”-looking liquid, which was spotted around 500metres from the First Tower area on Monday, to be harmful, but added that it would be reviewed in line with the Water Pollution (Jersey) Law 2000.

Explaining the process that would be undertaken, they said: “When officers receive a report of potential pollution, they first try to identify whether pollution has occurred, or is still occurring. If pollution has occurred, they try to identify where is it coming from and what actions need to be taken to mitigate or stop it.

“If they believe an offence has been committed under the legislation they regulate, they move to a more formal investigatory process, which may result in enforcement action.”

Video: The sewage-like murky pool in the sea was captured on camera by jet skiers. (Jamie Cadiou)

Footage of the discoloured patch seawater was posted online by Jamie Cadiou, who told Express he had been in the area around 13:00 when he spotted – and smelt – the “100 to 150sqft of brown liquid”.

In it, he said he could see what appeared to be “chunks” of brown matter – “some Malteaser-size, some were kind of golf ball.”

“I asked two friends that were also out on jetskis to come check it out to make sure I wasn't wrong and they both agreed it was chunks and thick brown liquid. The smell was also horrible – similar to driving through Bellozane on a summer’s day.”

Taken from a jetski, his 14-second video was posted online on Monday afternoon and quickly gathered hundreds of comments and shares from “disgusted” islanders.

Pictured: St. Aubin’s Bay, which is frequented in the summer months by swimmers and watersports enthusiasts.

Among responses of “yuck” and “disgusting” were concerns from some about what visitors to the island might think as summer approaches. “Nice tourist ad !!” one wrote.

A member of the Jersey Dog Forum – one of the many public groups the video was shared – said: “I won’t be letting [my dog] swim near here now I’ve seen this.”

Another member of the public said of the area, which is a popular location for watersports, added: “Might not be wakeboarding there.”

Other islanders shared stories of becoming ill – even vomiting – or suffering ear infections after swimming in the area.

Discharges from Bellozanne Sewage Treatment works are continuously flushed into St. Aubin’s Bay, but these are treated, as a government spokesperson explained: “The sewage treatment works are operating normally. Mixing fresh water with saline always creates some discolouration, and the sewage treatment sometimes produces foam which is fully UV-treated and safe, but which can look unpleasant.”

Pictured: Environmental Protection officers are now investigating.

Solids are also removed in the process.

Responding to the recent concerns, the spokesperson assured: “Environmental Protection officers are investigating, as they do when they receive all such reports. They are also checking the wider Bellozanne catchment area.”