Third bottled water collection point opens
Copyright: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
A third bottled water collection point has opened by South West Water (SWW) as the company faced mounting pressure from the public.
The water stations are at:
- Broadsands Car Park, TQ4 6HX
- Freshwater Quarry Car Park, TQ5 8BA
- Churston Car Boot Field, TQ4 7BQ
In a post on social media, the water company says the Churston collection point opened at 10:00 BST on Friday.
“Our team will be there and ready to meet you,” it says.
About 16,000 homes and businesses have been served boil water notices by SWW.
What is the water parasite making some people ill?
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A total of 22 cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed in the Brixham area by UK Health Security Agency on Wednesday, as South West Water said it believed a damaged air valve on a pipe in a field containing cattle was a potential source of entry for parasites.
So what is cryptosporidiosis?
Cryptosporidium is a tiny organism that causes an illness in people and some animals, health officials say.
It is found in human and animal poo and can contaminate waterways, swimming pools, raw milk and fresh produce, the UKHSA says.
Anyone can get infected and there is no effective drug treatment for cryptosporidiosis, with the main symptom being prolonged diarrhoea.
Prof Paul Hunter, a specialist in microbiology and infectious disease from the University of East Anglia, says most people recover after a couple of weeks but it can be deadly for a small number of people with severely weakened immune systems.
He says most people will not need to see a doctor unless they are seriously unwell or a child.
Losses will be ‘thousands of times’ compensation offered, business owner says
Copyright: BBC
South West Water has said customers affected by the contaminated water issue will be given a compensation payment of £115, and the amount will be kept under review.
But Michael Smith, co-owner of Venus café at Broadsands beach, says the current offer will not come close to matching their losses.
He says: “It will be thousands of times that. During the week at the minute we are not super busy, but we are losing £400 or £500 per day for the last couple of days.
“And come the weekend, with sunshine next and half-term the week after we are talking many thousands.”
South West Water says it has set up a dedicated phone line for affected businesses.
New cases could appear for weeks, professor says
Copyright: BBC
Cases of cryptosporidium will be seen in the area for at least the next 10 days, a professor has said.
Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia (UEA) said the parasite could be in the incubation period for up to two weeks.
He said: “One of the problems when you’re investigating outbreaks like this is that the incubation period can be about 10 days to two weeks, so often in the past when I’ve been involved in investigating outbreaks by the time you know you’ve got a problem, the problem has resolved itself anyway, but you can’t guarantee that.
“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.”
Water boss ‘truly sorry’ for parasite incident
Copyright: UK Parliament
The boss of South West Water (SWW) said she was “truly sorry” for the incident which has impacted homes and businesses in the Brixham area.
CEO Susan Davy Davy said the company would “not stop working until the situation has been resolved”.
“Our ground technicians have been working around the clock to identify the source of the contamination and rectify the situation so we can resume a normal water supply,” she said.
“To those in the affected area and our customers across the South West, I am 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.”
About 16,000 homes residents have been served boil water notices by SWW.
Faulty valve possible source of parasite outbreak
Copyright: Alamy
Welcome to our live coverage.
A faulty valve may have allowed a parasite to make its way into the water network in Brixham, south Devon, infecting hundreds of people, South West Water (SWW) has said.
Laura Flowerdew, SWW’s chief customer officer, said it had identified a “damaged valve on part of our network which could be the cause”.
She said: “We’re doing further work to make sure we’re absolutely confident that’s the cause and the only cause.
“We’re working through operational procedures in the meantime. We’re also doing further sampling to make sure we’re really confident in that cause.”
She said “public health is our absolute priority at this point so we’ll make sure that is fixed”.
Stay with us as we bring you all the updates on this story.
