Weedkiller ban 'has cleaned up Vale Pond catchment area'

This came to light after the head of the States' financial watchdog, Deputy Andy Sloan of Scrutiny Management, questioned whether stopping the use of glyphosate would end up costing the island more over time as it had to clear verges and gutters in more labour-intensive ways.

The general unsightliness of the island – something raised a year ago by Vale Senior Constable Richard Leale on behalf of the Douzaine (see here) – was worrying locals and putting off visitors, said Deputy Sloan.

The issue was reported by the Guernsey Press, which used the verges near the Vale School (pictured) to illustrate the problem.

Lost
Contamination of water coming from the Vale Pond catchment area meant that around 250 million litres (nearly 55 million gallons) couldn't be collected each year.

Since the ban, however, levels have dropped and northern water is again fit to be used in the island's mains water system.

Guernsey Water quality risk manager Daffyd Griffiths told the newspaper that since the ban on domestic use of glyphosate came into effect in 2023, there had been a noticeable fall in water collection area levels.

"This trend is stronger in the more densely populated northern catchments, which may represent the reduction in improper application by domestic users," he said.