A river of 'foul discharge'

Friday 31 May 2019

Residents in St Martins were somewhat taken aback to find a 'river' of 'foul discharge' flowing through the Rue Cauchee, but luckily for them it turned out to be a short lived stench.

People took to Facebook to question where the smell was coming from yesterday lunchtime, and what had happened to cause the flood.

One user said: "Avoid the corner where Burbridge used to be in St Martins'. It looks like loads of human sewage is flooding across the road and down to the traffic lights." 

Another questioned whether it was a public health hazard, and asked if it was possibly caused by the Unite the Union Strikes. States employees were 'working to rule' yesterday, meaning they would not be working overtime. 

A spokesperson for the States confirmed, however, that the overflow was not coming from a cess pit that had reached capacity, but rather a private pipe which had been blocked.

"States Works and Guernsey Water were made aware of foul discharge coming from a private property in St Martins this afternoon," it said.

"No cesspits were overflowing. The cause was found to be a blocked private drain which caused a private manhole to allow effluent to escape. A private drainage contractor attended the property and States Works staff carried out a clean-up operation." 

Pictured top: A States Works sewage lorry (file image).