A replacement ‘air raid siren’ cost £3,375 and took up three working hours from a civil servant and a police officer, a new Freedom of Information Act request has revealed.
The siren at Victoria Tower is used for ceremonial purposes on Liberation Day and Remembrance Sunday.
The original siren was installed in the 1970s, but stopped working in 2024 because of its age and prolonged weather exposure.
The replacement was found from a specialist supplier in the UK after it became clear repairing the old siren was uneconomical and there was no suitable replacement on the island.
The siren itself cost under £2,900 with £500 spent to hire a crane to lift it into place.
Five people from the States Property Unit and Guernsey Museums volunteered about 20 hours of their time to help with the siren’s installation last month.
Because of the low cost, a formal business case wasn’t needed.
The States said the new siren is expected to last about half a century, and any maintenance and repairs will be done by the States Property Unit as part of their day-to-day operations.