Guernsey Water has announced a number of changes to its cesspit emptying service as part of a wider project designed to improve wastewater services for domestic and commercial customers.
From 1st November 2021, the point of contact for all cesspit emptying enquiries will switch from States Works to Guernsey Water. The accounts and customer facing team has already relocated to the utility’s Brickfield offices to consolidate these functions under one roof.
Other changes will see customers start to receive one bill going forward, covering water, wastewater, and cesspit emptying, rather than the current system of two. Existing Direct Debit Instructions with States Works will cease and existing Instructions with Guernsey Water will be reassessed to incorporate cesspit collection costs. All cesspit customers will be posted a leaflet and booklet fully explaining all the changes and plans for future improvements.
Steve Langlois, Guernsey Water’s Managing Director, confirmed the changes had taken considerable planning. “We have been working on this for quite some time, the transfer of the contact centre and invoicing are planned to be seamless and we hope this will represent a much easier and more efficient service for our customers moving forward.
“As we are responsible for both water and wastewater service delivery on Island, it makes total sense for there to be a single point of contact and communication going forward. No changes will need to be made by any customer or their household. If any changes are required to existing emptying schedules, customers will be contacted by Guernsey Water.”
The cesspit emptying service will continue to be operated by States Works from Griffiths Yard under contract from Guernsey Water. On any given day, a fleet of 36 tankers collects around 650 loads of sewage from properties that are not connected to the main drain. The tanker discharges the sewage into the Island’s main sewer (i.e. wastewater network) where it is pumped or flows into the Belle Greve wastewater centre. The subsidised rate for cesspit collection from a property is £7.32 per load.
Mr Langlois added: “Centralising these activities will provide us with a much better level of data on our customers’ needs and also enable direct contact with us for them, which will be extremely helpful as we explore ways of further improving this service in the future.”
For those wishing to discuss cesspit emptying, please contact Guernsey Water’s customer service team on 01481 229500.
