allayed with preliminary results from Government tests showing up as negative.

The Royal Gazette received several calls from residents last week who complained of the presence of a "sewage-like'' smell in and around the area of Shark Hole, Hamilton Parish.

Asked if they knew anything about it, a spokesperson for Bermuda Properties Ltd., who maintain the site of the old Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort nearby, said it could not be coming from their property because the sewage system was not running at the moment.

She added the smell was most likely coming from decaying seaweed and other debris which was building up in the cove.

Government's Senior Environmental Health Officer George Simons confirmed the Health department had conducted tests on the area after the smell was noticed by them.

He said preliminary tests for sewage bacteria had come up negative but added that the department would "continue to monitor'' the situation and that more tests would be done in the future.

"There's no indication that it could be sewage but we have to look at these situations logically,'' Mr. Simons added.

EDUCATION ED