Raw sewage which spilled onto shoreline areas at Boaz Island has been cleaned up, but the public are still banned from swimming in the area the Department of Health has warned.

The untreated sewage overflowed from a tank at the Boaz Island condominiums after a pump failed to work, forcing the tank to overflow and polluting the water with dangerously high levels of ecoli and coliform bacteria. Chief Environmental Health Officer Estlyn Harvey said the bacteria count is now coming down but the public are still forbidden from swimming in the area and signs are posted making people aware of last week?s spill. ?We are waiting for three clear samples, we cannot do them in one week, we will do them weekly,? Mrs. Harvey said.

Mrs. Harvey said Wedco, the Government quango which manages the condos? sewage treatment plant, is bringing new pumps into the Island and monitoring the tank regularly to make sure another overflow does not occur.

Frog Lane residents also raised a stink last week after raw sewage floated through one resident?s garden. According to Terry Flood, a pipe which takes the sewage to a Government treatment plant had leaked, leaving him with a stream of raw sewage in his backyard.

The Department of Health cleaned up the mess and sent an inspector to keep an eye on the tank, Mrs. Harvey said yesterday.