Map shows desperate work to restore infected Brixham water supplies

A map from South West Water (SWW) has outlined the work that has been done and needs to be done to fully restore water supplies in Brixham. The cryptosporidium parasite was found in the water supply for the town last month.

Residents in the Upper Brixham, Kingswear and Hillhead areas are still being advised to boil their water before consumption, despite progress being made to clear the outbreak. The cause of the outbreak is believed to be a damaged air valve on private land.

Laura Flowerdew, Chief Customer Officer at South West Water, said teams are working "day and night" to clean the water network. She confirmed that SWW will continue to provide bottled water to customers while work is carried out.

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A map shows the progress that has been made so far to restore water supplies. The steps currently in progress include mains cleaning and flushing and installing UV treatment to provide a barrier to cryptosporidium.

Ms Flowerdew said: “Our teams continue to work day and night to clean our network. We have identified the source of the contamination and replaced the damaged air valve casing. As detailed work continues to clean and flush our network, we remind people that it is important to continue to use water around their homes for washing, cleaning and flushing toilets.

"Smaller pipes in customer homes compared with our network means water moves through home plumbing at a much greater speed creating enough force to clean the pipes in homes. However, please ensure water is boiled before any consumption like drinking and brushing teeth.

"Our interventions are working, but this is taking time for which we are very sorry. We will continue to provide bottled water and support to all our customers, visitors and businesses impacted by this situation.”