Residents in ‘dreadful state’ after parasite contamination in Devon water supply
A husband says his wife collapsed after drinking water feared to be contaminated with a parasite, as residents in the affected area are warned to boil their mains supplies for at least another week.
Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to drink their tap water until further notices after dozens fell ill with diarrhoea or vomiting.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed there had been 22 cases of cryptosporidium in the area, forcing a primary school to shut and local authorities to issue emergency supplies of bottled water.
South West Water (SWW) apologised for initially offering just £15 compensation to those affected.
Cryptosporidium is a diarrhoea and vomiting illness that can be caught by drinking contaminated water. It can also be spread through animal and human contact.
Symptoms, including stomach pains and fever, can last between two and three weeks, with most healthy people recovering fully.
Chaz Attwood told Sky News his wife had been ill for 16 days after drinking the contaminated water.
“My wife has been drinking water to keep hydrated because she’s diabetic and the insulin that she’s had to have has doubled, and basically that affected her to start with,” he said.
“So that’s made her worse. We’re in a dreadful state. She was so weak I even phoned 999, and told the guy what was happening because she’d collapsed.”
Eden Park Primary School in Brixham said it would close on Thursday after failing to receive assurances or bottled water from South West Water.
In a statement, South West Water announced they would increase the compensation to £100 “to say sorry for the stress and worry the situation has caused”.
Laura Flowerdew, South West Water’s chief customer and digital officer, also said, “We sincerely apologise for the impact this is having.”
The company also said it is still working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and others “to urgently investigate how cryptosporidium is getting into its network”.
Brixham, which has a population of around 17,000 people, is a busy fishing harbour as well as popular holiday hotspot.
On the town’s social media pages, many residents have been sharing concerns after suffering symptoms of the disease.
Anthony Mangnall, MP for Totnes, a constituency which includes Brixham, said he was aware of concerns over the quality of drinking water in the town.
He said: “SWW believe they have located the source of the issue and initiated a fix but are continuing their investigations and will be testing their network to ensure water is safe.
“The boil water notice is therefore likely to be in place for at least a further six or seven days, with bottled water available throughout this period.
“Vulnerable customers and those on the Priority Services Register will continue to receive regular deliveries of bottled water, while those who are unable to access bottled water stations will be able to call SWW to receive a delivery.
“I have also been assured that all schools, care homes and non-household vulnerable customers have received deliveries of water bottles.”
Two bottled water stations have been set up at Broadsands Car Park in Paignton, and Fresh Water Quarry Public Car Park in Brixham.
Mr Mangnall added: “I am very concerned about SWW’s response to this situation, as they have been slow to act and communication with customers has been very poor.
“This has certainly undermined trust in our water network and I will certainly keep working with colleagues at Defra to ensure SWW are held to account over this issue.”
The list of symptoms of the waterborne disease provided by the UKHSA includes watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, dehydration, weight loss and fever.
It is most common in young children aged between one and five years, the agency said.
