Wednesday 24 July 2019
Agriculture, Countryside & Land Management Services (ACLMS) is reminding people visiting the bays between Fermain and Portelet to bear in mind that all these bays are prone to rock and soft cliff falls and that it is never sensible to sit or play near the base of cliffs because of the increased risk of injury or even death in the event of a fall.
A rock fall was reported at Petit Bot on Monday afternoon which narrowly missed a woman visiting the bay with her family. This incident took place at the top of the bay and was therefore, not associated with coasteering, which takes place in the mouth of the bay. There are numerous signs warning people of the risk of rock falls at Petit Bot placed at the entrance slipway and also attached to several rock faces.
Most rock falls occur during winter months when beaches are relatively quiet. Where rock falls are reported ACLMS will ask for a professional opinion on the relative risk created by the new change to a cliff face. However it is not possible to state that any coastal cliff face in Guernsey is 'safe'.
Cliff faces weather over a period of years through wind, rainfall or freeze/thaw conditions (when ice crystals expand the cracks between rocks) and increases the risk of rock falls. The growth of vegetation, or small earth tremors that we do not feel, can also cause numerous small changes over time which can lead to rock falls.
Soft cliffs of loose clays and small stones, such as those at Fermain, Moulin Huet, Petit Bot and Portelet, can collapse without warning, particularly after periods of heavy rain. These soft cliffs may also contain large boulders, which are unseen until a fall occurs.
At Petit Port, immediately above the flight of access steps, there are several areas of cliff face which are heavily netted to prevent rock falls. The cliffs at Petit Port also have regular inspection and work by contractors working on ropes to remove small flakes and loose stones caused by weathering. This work is essential to keep the access steps to the bay open for people to enjoy. The netting and the condition of the cliffs at Petit Port are monitored by a specialist geotechnical engineer each year but even with these expensive precautionary measures it's not possible to entirely negate the risk of rock falls here.
