It has complained to the BBC that while other offshore
areas like the Orkneys or Scilly Isles are regularly featured on weather
reports, the Channel Islands hardly ever get a mention.
An online petition to have Jersey put on the UK national
weather map has attracted over 1,000 signatures.
The petition against "forecast discrimination"
was launched by Jersey Tourism, after it found that the island only appears in
5 percent of BBC national weather forecasts.
"There's a principle at stake" said a spokesman
for Jersey Tourism. "Jersey is very much a part of the British
Isles."
Although Jersey is 161 km from the UK's southern shore
and nearer St Malo than Weymouth, it is a British Crown dependency.
Research by Jersey Tourism suggests that the island loses
out on millions of pounds in tourism revenues because potential visitors are
unaware of the island's pleasant climate, which benefits from prevailing
southwest winds and the Gulf Stream.
As TV licence holders, moreover, Jersey residents are entitled
to the same BBC forecast coverage as the rest of the UK, the spokesman said.
"Frankly, finally we've got a bit fed up with
it," he added.
Jersey Tourism also said that reports of the island's
weather are inaccurate, with temperatures reported as lower than they really
are.
In response to the petition, the BBC said: "the
Channel Islands are clearly visible on the UK wide weather map."
