Cause of E. coli outbreak at beach identified

Steps have been taken to stop any further discharges into the bay

The cause of poor water quality at a beach in Jersey has been identified, the minister for infrastructure says.

People are still being urged not to swim at a Grève de Lecq after high levels of E. coli were found in the water.

Constable Andy Jehan said a partial blockage on an incoming sewer to one of the pumping stations was believed to be the cause.

He said the infrastructure team had taken steps to stop any further discharges into the bay.

Mr Jehan said the partial blockage caused some sewage to overtop the foul sewer and enter the surface water system, which normally carried just surface water out to sea.

“I’d like to thank the team who quickly isolated the station and found the exact location of the problem, to stop further leakage into the environment," he said.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Jersey's Infrastructure and Environment Department said samples were taken on Tuesday.

It said the level of E. coli in the seawater had fallen significantly but the area was still rated as “poor”.

"The public health team is advising against entering the sea at Grève de Lecq and the stream," it said.