Parasite-infested water safe to drink again after causing explosive diarrhoea

Thousands of households in the Brixham area of Devon can now safely use and drink their tap water without having to boil it first, South West Water (SWW) has said.

Around 14,500 households in the Alston supply area can now use their tap water safely.

Although 2,500 properties in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear should continue to boil it.

Hundreds are feared to have fallen ill after parasitic bug cryptosporidium, which causes severe stomach issues, entered the underground reservoir through a damaged air valve in a cattle field.

SWW chief customer officer Laura Flowerdew said: ‘Following rigorous testing this week, it is now safe to lift the boil water notice in the Alston water supply area.

‘This decision has been supported by the Government’s public health experts and the local authority’s environmental health department.

‘This situation has caused an immense amount of disruption, distress and anxiety. We are truly sorry this has happened.

‘The public rightly expect a safe, clean and reliable source of drinking water and on this occasion, we have fallen significantly short of expectations. We will not stop working until this has been fully resolved.

‘With the boil water notice still in place in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear, we are urging customers who are unsure if they are still affected to visit the postcode checker on our website or call us so we can check for them.’

The decision to declare the drinking water safe was made in consultation with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the local authority’s environmental health department.

Laura Flowerdew, SWW’s chief customer officer, told Sky News: ‘We have identified that there is a damaged air valve on our network just near the Hillhead reservoir.

‘We absolutely want to make sure that that is the only source and therefore are just ensuring that we’ve gone through all the right operational procedures.’

Asked if it was animal faeces that infiltrated the network, she told the broadcaster: ‘We understand that this is a valve on one of the pipes that head towards the Hillhead reservoir, not on the reservoir itself.

‘It’s in a farmer’s field and I understand that there are cattle in that field and therefore there’s a possibility that that is therefore the source of the contamination.’

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