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Black sea water probably rotting seaweed - States

BBC Discoloured water on Havelet Bay, GuernseyBBC
Those who saw the water described it as cloudy and smelly

Rotting seaweed was probably the cause of water turning black on a Guernsey beach last month, the States has said.

Pictures showed a discoloured stream emerging around Havelet sea wall.

Islanders raised concerns after the cloudy-looking water was first spotted in October.

Tobin Cook, director of environmental health and pollution regulation, said: "We believe this is most likely to be due to the natural rotting of seaweed beneath the surface of the sand."

However, he added it had not been possible to "provide a definite answer", adding: "Havelet sea water is regularly sampled throughout the year as part of our routine sea water monitoring programme and we will continue to review this situation."

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