Latest news with #StSampsons


BBC News
15-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Elvis the stowaway squirrel in Guernsey thought captured or dead
An animal charity has said it is "highly likely that something has happened" to a squirrel thought to have arrived in Guernsey via a vehicle in Byrne, manager of the Guernsey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA), said he thought it likely the animal, dubbed Elvis, had been captured or March the States of Guernsey had tried to trap the invasive non-native mammal but this week said it "couldn't justify the use of taxpayers' money to continue looking for our stowaway visitor".Mr Byrne asked anyone with any information about the squirrel to share it with the GSPCA. 'Very few predators' The States Veterinary Officers said they were "not actively seeking to catch the squirrel".The Sarnian squirrel, colloquially named Elvis, was first spotted near Bluchip in St Sampsons on 24 Byrne said there had been a number of sightings near and around Delancy Park between the areas of St Peter Port and St Sampsons until early said: "We have very few predators in Guernsey that would kill or eat a squirrel other than birds of prey, certain pets or human beings - whether accidental or intentional - which we hope hasn't happened."We continue to appeal for sightings of Elvis, but with the months of no reports it is highly likely that something has happened to the Sarnian squirrel from being captured to sadly no longer alive."


BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Family shocked at rental costs in Guernsey
A man who left Guernsey said he was shocked to find the cost of rental accommodation had doubled when he returned 10 months Pinsard and his family moved to Australia in 2022 but after his wife was hurt in a car accident they decided to come back in June they had arranged a rental house for their first day back, Mr Pinsard said the property was in such poor condition they could not live in it - but they could not then find an affordable alternative.A report recently published by the Guernsey Community Foundation found young families were being "driven away" by rising living costs. Mr Pinsard said when the family had left Guernsey in 2022 they had been paying £1,300 per month for a two-bedroom house near the beach on the west said that in September 2023 they rented a "cramped" two-bedroom in St Sampsons that cost £2,600 per Pinsard added that he had found it "shocking that in such a short period of time, nine to 10 months, rental cost actually doubled".The government's Property Prices Bulletin showed the average local market rental price was £2,068 a month in the first quarter of figure is 1.5% higher than the previous quarter, 8.2% higher than the first quarter of 2024 and 51.7% higher than five years ago. 'Lots of sacrifices' Mr Pinsard said the family had been forced to live in temporary accommodation which had drained their savings."We got to the point where it was either we have to buy to get on to the property market or leave the island again," he Pinsards managed to buy a house, which needed renovation, thanks to "lots of sacrifices".Mr Pinsard said his wife worked extra shifts at the hospital and he had a side business he ran at the weekends to ensure they had a home."It is possible but only through many, many extra hours which takes time away from the children and family," he added.