Guernsey civil emergency plan robust: Minister Le Tocq

Deputy Le Tocq said he was confident in the systems in place

Guernsey's civil emergency procedures are robust and better than in most jurisdictions, according to the island's home minister.

Concerns were raised by members of the public about how serious incidents would be reported to islanders so they could protect themselves.

It follows a minor incident at France's Flamanville nuclear reprocessing plant, less than 30 miles (50km) away.

Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq assured the public they would be kept informed.

He said in an emergency the media and official social media, such as Guernsey Police's Facebook and Twitter accounts, would be used to let islanders know about issues and to offer advice as to how they should react.

Deputy Le Tocq, who is also the island's deputy chief minister, said the system worked better than other places due to the "widespread contact with the media and the means of contacting the community in Guernsey generally".

He said work was continuing on sending text messages to every mobile phone in the island in the event of a major emergency.

The move was first suggested ahead of the dismantling of the island's air raid siren system in 2010.