Summary

  • Island-wide voting wins Guernsey referendum

  • Condor cancels high-speed sailings due to Storm Callum

  • 'Plan ahead' warning to surfers after high-tide rescue

  • Tsunami appeal: Jersey could not 'sit back and do nothing'

  • Mystery over wreck of sunk historic ship

  • Updates on Thursday 11 October 2018

  1. Channel Islands Live: 12 Octoberpublished at 08:03 British Summer Time 12 October 2018

    Bringing you the news, sport, travel and weather for the Channel Islands

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  2. CI weather: Rain overnight before brightening on Fridaypublished at 17:11 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    BBC Weather

    Thursday night will start dry but breezy. The southerly wind will strengthen later in the night and there will be an increasing chance of some rain edging from the west.

    Minimum temperature: 12 to 15C (54 to 59F).

    Friday will see some early rain possible but it should then brighten up. However, there will be strong and gusty southerly winds through much of the day. The winds will remain strong into the evening.

    Maximum temperature: 17 to 20C (63 to 68F).

    Jersey:

    Jersey weather

    Guernsey:

    Guernsey weather
  3. Guernsey referendum: A protest vote?published at 17:00 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Rob Byrne
    BBC News Online

    That's the suggestion from one of Guernsey's most experienced politicians.

    Twenty-year veteran Deputy John Gollop says the backing of island-wide voting is a "vote of no confidence" in the current States.

    "I think people are fed up with this assembly.

    "Perhaps if we'd had the vote at the general election, or just afterwards, it would have been a different story.

    "There's real feeling that this assembly has lost its way," he said.

  4. Guernsey referendum: 'The end of parish politics'published at 16:40 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Simon Fairclough
    Guernsey Political Reporter

    One of Guernsey's most experienced politicians has claimed the backing of island-wide voting could herald the end of parish politics.

    Deputy John Gollop arrives at a States of Guernsey meeting

    Deputy John Gollop, a 20-year political veteran and Option C campaigner, said those backed the status quo now face a very different system, achieved by the narrowest of majorities.

    "[It's] a system that ends, probably forever, the era of small constituencies, knocking on doors - parish politics.

    "It could be the beginning of party politics," he added.

  5. Condor cancels high-speed sailings due to Storm Callumpublished at 16:22 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Condor has cancelled its high-speed sailings on Friday and Saturday due to Storm Callum, the firm has confirmed.

    With predicted wind speeds of 50mph and wave heights of up to (15ft) 4.5m - which are outside of safe operating limits - the company has cancelled services between Poole, Guernsey and Jersey.

    The Clipper will operate from St Malo to Jersey, Guernsey on Friday and north to Poole overnight. She will follow the reverse pattern on Saturday south to the Islands and on to St Malo.

    The company said: "As a consequence of these changes, the rescheduling of the Clipper requires the cancellation of Friday evening and Saturday morning’s round trips from St Malo to Jersey.

    "Condor’s customer contact centre and port teams are notifying all passengers affected to offer the alternative sailings where space is available and to help rearrange their travel plans.

    "All are being offered free transfers or a full refund. Condor’s conventional ferry services are also affected by the approaching storm as the Commodore Goodwill is being re-routed on Friday so will operate Portsmouth to Jersey first and then on to Guernsey."

  6. Guernsey referendum: 'Vote changes everything'published at 16:12 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Rob Byrne
    BBC News Online

    One of the campaigners for Option A, the winner of Guernsey's referendum on island-wide voting, said the move to a single island constituency has the potential to drastically change politics.

    Deputy Carl Meerveld, of the winning Guernsey referendum option, holding up sign thanking voters.

    "I think it changes everything," Deputy Carl Meerveld said.

    "It'll change the nature of the debate. It'll change the characteristics of the people who stand and who are successful.

    "I'm hoping that it will mean individuals and groups will get together and present their manifesto policy objectives, and hopefully even detailed implementation plans to the electorate.

    "Instead of having a popularity contest at a parish or district level we'll end up with a policy debate at an island level," he added.

  7. Island-wide voting wins Guernsey referendumpublished at 16:12 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Voters back electoral shake-up which will be adopted by island parliament.

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  8. 'Plan ahead' warning to surfers after high-tide rescuepublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    BBC Radio Jersey

    Coastguards in Jersey have warned surfers to plan ahead before going into the sea after two people had to be helped out of the water at St Ouen's bay on Wednesday night.

    Someone called 999 after 19:00 as the light was fading and the high tide was reaching (36ft) 11m. The conditions attracted surfers to the water but two of them could not get back to shore.

    A fire service vehicle managed to guide them to safety using a high-powered lamp. They were exhausted but unharmed.

    Coastguards warned high tides at St Ouen could cause very confused and challenging conditions, and make it difficult to rescue people.

    They asked surfers to take more careful note of the tide and light conditions before going into the water.

    Watch officer Bjorn Risebrow also said people should not hesitate to call emergency services, particularly in fading light.

  9. Guernsey referendum result: Chief minister tweetspublished at 15:55 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Rob Byrne
    BBC News Online

    Guernsey's most senior politician Deputy Gavin St Pier is asking islanders to "respect" today's referendum result.

    He tweeted the community must now "work hard" to make sure the new island-wide system of electing politicians is implemented by the next election in June 2020.

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  10. The tag that found the hornet's nestpublished at 15:16 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Scientists attach a radio transmitter to an Asian hornet to locate and destroy its nest.

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  11. Guernsey referendum: 'Option B struggled to engage islanders'published at 15:15 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Rob Byrne
    BBC News Online

    One of the campaigners for option B - Guernsey's current system for electing politicians - has said they struggled to engage voters.

    Caroline McManus said: "I'm quite disappointed, obviously.

    "But this is the way people have voted, so this is the way it has to be."

    "We've tried to engage people, but it's been very very difficult. And this problem will only get greater when we do have some form of island-wide voting."

    Option B was eliminated in the third count earlier, before Option A - full island-wide voting - triumphed.

  12. Guernsey referendum: Option A winspublished at 14:06 British Summer Time 11 October 2018
    Breaking

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    The results of Guernsey's first ever referendum are in.

    Option A - full island-wide voting - has won with 6,017 votes, 52.48%.

    Option C - 10 island-wide deputies and 28 voted in through seven districts came second with 5,448 votes, 47.52%.

  13. Guernsey referendum: Option B eliminatedpublished at 13:31 British Summer Time 11 October 2018
    Breaking

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    Option B has been eliminated from the referendum vote.

    Option B was to keep the voting system as it is, voting in deputies across seven districts every four years.

    After the distribution of Option E secondary votes, Option A now has 5,755 votes, while Option C has 4,220.

    Option A is still well in the lead, but this referendum is going to come down to how Option B voters assigned their subsequent choices.

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  14. Mystery over wreck of sunk historic shippublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    A detectorist finds copper plates almost a mile from the 18th Century ship's suspected wreck site.

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  15. Guernsey referendum: Option A still in the leadpublished at 13:12 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    Option A is currently in the lead in Guernsey's referendum to decide how to elect its politicians.

    The "full island-wide" option would see 38 politicians elected island-wide, every four years.

    However, any option that's going to win this vote needs 50% - which means the magic number is 7,186.

    With 5,390 votes so far, there are still 1,795 to go.

  16. Guernsey referendum: Option E eliminatedpublished at 13:04 British Summer Time 11 October 2018
    Breaking

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    After the second round of counting Option E has been eliminated.

    Option E would have seen a third of the island's deputies elected to six year terms every two years.

    Option A - full island-wide voting - picked up 86 votes from the second-choices of Option D, while "status-quo" Option B picked up 275.

    Option A is still well in the lead as we go into the third round of counting.

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  17. Guernsey referendum: Option A wins first roundpublished at 12:38 British Summer Time 11 October 2018
    Breaking

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    After the first round, Option A has received the most first-choice votes.

    Option D has been eliminated.

    As none of the options have reached a 50% majority, the second-choice votes from Option D will now be distributed to the totals of the remaining options.

    Option A is the system whereby 38 politicians elected island-wide, every four years.

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  18. Fuel duty increase opposed by senior politicianpublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    Guernsey's second most senior politician won't be supporting a proposed rise in fuel duty in the island's 2019 budget.

    The financial plan sets out a 3.1p increase in the tax on petrol.

    Duty on fuel has been steadily increasing across the last decade in Guernsey, despite tax on petrol being frozen in the UK for the last eight years at 57.95p.

    Pumps

    After the most recent rise, Guernsey's duty now stands at 70.1p.

    Vice-President of the Policy and Resources Committee, Deputy Lyndon Trott, said it's already expensive enough to run a car on the island, and he has "no intention of making it more so".

    While the budget will be debated in November, some duties - such as fuel - are charged as soon as they are announced, meaning islanders are already paying extra at the pumps.

  19. Jersey savings 'to partly come from cutting staff'published at 11:31 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    BBC Radio Jersey

    Jersey's government will save £30m next year, partly by shedding workers, the chief minister says.

    The island needed to bridge a gap between what it was spending and the money coming in, said John Le Fondre.

    He also told business leaders it would involve a permanent reduction in the size of the States' workforce.

    Meanwhile, Treasury Minister Susie Pinel is predicting a deficit in public finances of between £30m and £40m by the year 2023 unless the government took action.

  20. Guernsey referendum: The Brexit parodies begin...published at 11:28 British Summer Time 11 October 2018

    Chris Quevatre
    BBC News Online

    The parody jokes comparing Guernsey's first referendum with the Brexit referendum have already begun.

    Deputy Shane Langlois asked his Twitter followers: "Will there soon be calls for a second [referendum] to agree the terms of any new electoral system?"

    It still remains to be seen whether the people of Guernsey have said "no deal" to island-wide voting.

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