BBC News Guernsey

Poor water quality, including the presence of E.Coli bacteria, has been found in drainage into Cobo Bay.

People visiting the beach should avoid contact with water from the outfall between Route de Cobo and the slipway adjacent to the kiosk, the States said.

Anyone who does come into contact with the water should immediately wash their hands.

The area has seen a "period of erratic results" over the last few weeks, with samples found to have "very poor water quality" and the presence of the bacteria.

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The bay was linked to high levels of E. coli in 2010 and in 2011, when 50 seabirds were found to have the bacteria.

The States said there was no link from the waste drainage system to the outfall on the beach, so the contamination was "very likely something occurring further up-stream".

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The market steps in town have been painted with the rainbow colours of the LGBT flag in support of the Channel Islands Pride event.

The event will take place on Saturday from 14:00 in Candie Gardens, with the march to Market Square beginning two hours later.

The colours were projected onto the Town Church on Thursday night and will be for two more nights in support of the event.

Ellie Jones, from LGBT charity Liberate, said they expected about 5,000 people to attend, including visitors from the Isle of Man, despite the fact that Jersey supporters will not be able to attend.

She added: "Everyone's been coming out, no pun intended, in force of any events that are going on in the islands at the moment."

Specialist learning disability and mental health nurse training in Guernsey through the Open University has been endorsed by the UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Guernsey currently has 21 learning disability nurses, only one of which was born on the island, the States Adult Disability Services (ADS) said.

There are four others, also born in Guernsey but now work in different parts of the heath service, who had to go off island for training.

The island's Institute of Health and Social Care Studies runs adult nurse training but not learning Disability nurse or mental health nurse training.

Staff recruitment and retention challenges leading to staff turnover has a negative impact on the development of relationships with patients, a spokeswoman for the service explained.

The courses will run in Guernsey from February 2021 and last four years, with five places for new students each year.

Students will be recruited from staff already employed by ADS and will spend two days a week in their current role as a support worker, with one day for study and two as a student nurse on placement.

Mandy Mackelworth, from ADS, said the course was a "fantastic step" forward for the service.

She added: "Not only will we be able to cut down on expensive recruitment costs, with career development opportunities available, we will be able to retain more local staff in post."