Sea lake's future uncertain after dangerous incident

More details about the future of a once-popular Jersey seawater pool will be set out this week.

The dangers of the damage to Victoria Marine Lake were highlighted in an incident in June when a child had to be rescued after they were pulled through an open sluice gate.

People in a steering group want to see the pool - which was built in 1897 - fully restored.

Jersey's Infrastructure Minister Deputy Jonathan Renouf said short-term safety measures were in place but a solution was needed, and he was due to answer questions on the topic during this week's States Assembly meeting.

Renouf said the incident could have been fatal, and that warnings signs were confusing.

Signage telling people not to swim in or walk around the pool has since been made more clear, and a line of buoys has been put across the entrance.

The sea pool was built to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and is one of the largest of its kind in the British Isles.

The previous infrastructure minister, Andy Jehan, said last year that repairs would be "uneconomical", though did allow some work to prevent "rip tides and whirlpools".

Renouf said those repairs were "undermined" because water began to escape underneath the wall, which led to "whirlpooling as the water sucked [a current] down".

The sluice gates were opened so the water could drain more directly.

St Helier Constable, Inna Gardiner, will question Renouf on the future of the pool in the States.

She said argued it was about safety rather than politics.

"It must be fixed because it's serviced St Helier residents for 100 years.

"If this place would be safe we should see lots of families, children, tourists using it. But it's not safe so nobody can really use it."

In the last political term, her budget amendment to free up £600,000 to repair and maintain the site was rejected.

The Council of Ministers said it might not be enough money, and wanted to avoid a repeat of 2014, when £315,000 was spent to reopen the pool only for it to full into disrepair.

Gardiner wants the goverment to share how much repairs would cost.

Nina Zaech is part of a group of the public which wants the pool to be restored.

She said it was scary to hear that a child had been pulled out to sea.

"We knew that there were whirlpools and that things are not safe, but the signs were not good enough... exactly what nobody wanted [happened]."

She said repairs should happen: "Do we want a vibrant town, or do we want a dead beach in summer and all year round?"

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People the BBC spoke to at the beach at the pool agreed.

Rachael Fay said costly repairs would be worthwhile, because the pool has been "such an asset" since 1897.

Martin Gallery said if it was fixed and a maintenance plan implemented repairs "could be done at fraction of the cost" in future.

Another thought it could become a popular option alongside the Havre des Pas lido.

Plans for the nearby Waterfront redevelopment include an outdoor swimming pool with eight lanes.

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