Source of contamination making people ill 'found' by water company

The MP for an area that has seen people falling ill after a cryptosporidium outbreak contaminated drinking water has said its source has now been found by the water supplier. Anthony Mangall, MP for Totnes in Devon, whose constituency covers Brixham where the outbreak has taken place, said South West Water (SWW) had traced it to a damaged air valve.

He said the valve "may have allowed animal waste or contaminated groundwater to enter the local supply". The update was posted on his Facebook page on Thursday morning.

It followed a meeting convened by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Soon after, SWW issued a press release. The update said it was working closely with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate how cryptosporidium is getting into its network so it can be fixed, reports Devon Live.

On Wednesday SWW confirmed it had detected 'small traces' of the organism in Alston and the Hillhead area of the coastal town - less than 24 hours after stating it was safe to drink the water after all its water supply tests had come back clear. The latest data supplied by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was published on Wednesday, when it announced 22 confirmed cases.

It has not been disclosed where those people live, but the 'majority' are in Brixham, according to the agency. Mr Mangnall has expressed his dissatisfaction with SWW's handling of the crisis and is demanding accountability.

He said: "I have just attended a meeting convened by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to receive an update from South West Water and the UK Health Security Agency. 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. A second bottled water station has now been set up at Freshwater Quarry Car Park and will be open until 9pm tonight.

"SWW previously confirmed that household customers issued with a Boil Water notice would receive a £15 payment and have now agreed to pay an additional £100 compensation. Customers who pay by Direct Debit will receive £115 direct to their bank account by May 21, while those who do not have a Direct Debit arrangement will receive £115 credit on their water account.

"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.

"I will also work with Torbay Council, Brixham Town Council, Kevin Foster and other local stakeholders to ensure better communication with residents. My team and I are on hand to help, and have even delivered bottled water to residents this morning."

In a response to a comment on his Facebook page about the source of the contamination, he replied: "A damaged air valve in the Hillhead area, which may have allowed animal waste or contaminated ground water to enter the local supply."

In an announcement today, South West Water (SWW) revealed an increase in the previous compensation offer made to impacted customers, now adding £100 to the original £15. It said: "South West Water is working closely with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate how cryptosporidium is getting into its network so it can be fixed and the drinking supply returned to the high-quality standards expected by its customers as quickly as possible."

Devon Live has contacted SWW for further response.