Director of environmental health and pollution regulation Tobin Cook confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the Ladies’ Pool would be closed with immediate effect after tests found that foul drainage was escaping into the public area and reaching the pool.
Dye testing indicated that the other pools were not affected and investigations were taken to establish the extent of the issues and remedial works required.
Beth Le Gallez was going for a swim at La Vallette before work and opted to use the Children’s Pool instead.
‘I haven’t been swimming here so much recently but I used to go most mornings,’ she said.
‘There’s been a bit of a smell around here for a while.
‘They said it’s from the toilet, but I still think it’s linked to the sewage pipe.
‘I don’t think I swallowed any water so I think I’ll be okay.’
Rev. Howard Davenport regularly swims at the Bathing Pools, usually in the Ladies’ Pool.
He said it was no issue for him switching to the Children’s Pool until the issue is resolved.
‘I think it is all very well managed, so it might take a bit longer than we’d want for it to be sorted, but it will be sorted in the end,’ he said.
The Bathing Pools cafe was closed for usual service today, instead just offering takeaway.
A sign on the door stated that the public toilets and cafe share a cesspit, and following investigations by its contractors and remedial action, a solution has been found to address the immediate issue.
‘The cafe will be takeaway service only. This will allow us time to communicate further with Environmental Health and the other relevant parties and ensure that we are satisfied with the arrangements moving forward,’ it said.
‘We will continue to monitor the cesspit regularly and work closely with Environmental Health to support ongoing testing and the publication of water quality data.
‘A longer-term solution is also being progressed to address the shared system and provide a sustainable resolution.’
It said it understood the concern and inconvenience the situation may have caused and apologised for the disruption.
‘Our priority is to resolve the issue properly while keeping the community informed,’ it said.
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