Devon illness may persist for two more weeks as parasite ‘still in the incubation period’
The outbreak of illness in Devon as a result of contaminated water could continue for two weeks, as the company responsible faces being probed over its handling of the crisis.
The parasite that has affected drinking water in the Brixham area could still be in the incubation period for many residents, an expert warned.
“Even if they have stopped all new infections by now, you would expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks,” Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine and an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, told the BBC.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which regulates water quality in England and Wales, said it was “actively investigating the cause, the extent of the contamination, and the actions taken by the water company”.
Residents told to boil their water
South West Water (SWW) originally told residents there was no cause for concern about its tap water, following reports of sickness and discolouration.
A day later, it told residents to boil their water after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed 22 cases of Cryptosporidium, a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite.
Some 46 cases of the disease had now been confirmed in the Brixham area, the UKHSA said.
More than 100 further people have reported similar symptoms, while other cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors are also under investigation.
The agency said more confirmed cases were anticipated.
On Thursday, it said it had traced a probable cause of the outbreak to a damaged air valve in a farmer’s field on its network near the Hillhead reservoir that may have been contaminated by cow waste.
The DWI pursues prosecutions against water companies when it deems that they have not taken all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to clean drinking water supplies.
In 2017, United Utilities was fined £300,000 after Cryptosporidium contamination at a site near Preston after animal waste seeped into an underground tank.
As many as 700,000 people were unable to drink their tap water for three weeks as a result of the incident, which occurred in 2015, although there were no reports of illness.
Businesses see drop in customers
Businesses around Brixham said they had seen a drop in customers as a result of the outbreak, and feared that the fallout could continue into the half-term and bank holiday.
Michael Smith, the co-owner of the Venus Café near Brixham, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it had seen a 40 per cent drop in business in the past two days and had not been contacted by SWW “in any fashion”.
He said: “During the week, at the minute, we’re not super busy, but we’re losing £400, £500 per day the last couple of days.
“Come the weekend, sunshine next week and the week after, we’re talking many thousands [of pounds].”
Mr Smith said the café found out only on Wednesday that it was in the affected catchment area, and that plans by SWW to set up a telephone help-line for businesses would not be very effective.
He added: “This parasite is not rare, it does occur annually, so they should know how to deal with it.”
‘Too risky’ to visit
Aaron Richardson, a receptionist at Wall Park Touring Caravan campsite in the town, told BBC News that customers had contacted the park stating it was “too risky” to visit.
He said the park was left without fresh water until Thursday night and had also not been contacted by SWW.
SWW said it had set up a dedicated line for retailers and businesses to discuss any impact from the outbreak.
Susan Davy, SWW’s chief executive officer, said she was “truly sorry for the disruption and wider anxiety this has caused”.
“While incidents like these are thankfully very rare, our customers expect a safe, clean and reliable source of drinking water,” she said. “I know on this occasion we have fallen significantly short of what you expect of us.”
