An overflowing cesspit caused the pollution that closed the Ladies’ Pool – but the Bathing Pools claims it was not contacted by Environmental Health before inspectors arrived to investigate on Wednesday.
A bathing water sample taken on 24 August returned a “poor” result – more than a week before Wednesday’s closure – although a test two days later did meet the “good” criteria.
The public toilets and café share a cesspit which became overfilled and came under pressure from the volume of wastewater entering the system, according to a Bathing Pools social media post.
Environmental Health visited the site on Wednesday to carry out a dye test following an unsatisfactory water test result last week.
But the Bathing Pools says it was not contacted before Wednesday’s test to advise it that there was an issue.
Express has asked the States why the closure took at least nine days from the initial test.
‘Immediate solution’
The café’s contractors investigated the system and carried out remedial work on Wednesday.
The cesspit was then fully emptied and is now scheduled to be emptied twice a week as an immediate measure.
The Bathing Pools says a longer-term solution has also been proposed to address the shared system.
The business said it was “deeply disappointed” that the issue had affected use of the Ladies’ Pool and, “most importantly”, water quality.
It said it was working closely with the States of Guernsey and other relevant parties to resolve the issue “as quickly as possible”.
The Bathing Pools added: “We sincerely apologise for the disruption and appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to resolve this shared issue.”
Environmental Health will continue to monitor water quality and publish the results.
