ISLANDERS have been warned to be vigilant while walking dogs in St Ouen’s Bay after oil was discovered on the beach.
In a social media post, New Era Veterinary Hospital asked pet owners to be on the lookout – and report any sightings of affected wildlife to the JSPCA – following reports of oil near Sands restaurant.
Staff from the government’s Pollution Control team visited the beach several times and found a small amount of debris covered with oil.
In a statement, the department said: “Pollution Control attended the beach at St Ouen on Wednesday afternoon and didn’t locate any oil before the light failed.
“They were back on site on Thursday morning and recovered a small amount of flotsam or jetsam [litter including wood and plastic] that was contaminated with oil. This material was nestled within seaweed on the beach against the seawall to the north of Sands.
“With the assistance of the New Era Veterinary Hospital, additional information was sought from the original informant and on Thursday afternoon a further visit was made to the beach to check the specified location to the south of Sands.
“There is no indication of large-scale pollution, but there was a further visit to the site this morning [Friday] to double check for any additional flotsam or jetsam washed ashore.”
Responding to New Era’s Facebook post, one Islander said she had seen about ten dead cormorants on the beach this week.
