Soldiers' Bay swimmer claims Fort George outfall made him ill

THREE islanders want signs to be put up at Soldiers' Bay to warn people they could be swimming in sewage from Fort George.

Retired police officer John Le Couteur, 61, said he became ill after swimming in the sea off the beach at low tide.

Mr Le Couteur, wife Sally and friend Pauline Garthwaite visited the beach by boat at the end of June. Mrs Le Couteur said they could see brown particles in the water from the boat which they thought was seaweed.

'As soon as we got in the water there was a smell and we were a bit more suspicious about the brown bits in it,' she said.

The outflow at Fort George serves the 60 houses on the estate, none of which is on the main drain. In a 2007 report, the Public Services Department said it wanted to transfer the short outflows from Fort George and Creux Mahie to the Belle Greve facility. Work to divert the flow out of Creux Mahie is nearly complete but it is not yet known when changes will be made at Fort George. The department is expected to comment on a timetable for work today.

• Read the full story in the Guernsey Press. See below for subscription details.