Tap Water Partly Restored After Bug Outbreak

Tap water has been declared safe to drink in parts of Lancashire three weeks after a parasitic outbreak.

United Utilities said residents in parts of Blackpool, Chorley and Preston no longer needed to boil their water.

But the restriction remains in place for many homes across the county .

It comes after tests at a United Utilities treatment plant uncovered traces of the microscopic cryptosporidium bug, which can cause sickness and diarrhoea.

The company claims to be "working around the clock" and said its effort to flush out the bug "is proving successful".

But it added that eradicating the problem from 2,500 miles of pipework "is a complex process".

It added: "We always said that we would lift the boil water notice as soon as we were able to in those areas where there was no longer a risk to public health.

"We will continue our work to remove the bug from all parts of the Lancashire network and will lift the boil water notice in further areas as and when we are able to do so."

The company is writing to customers once their water is safe to drink.

It said: "We all want things back to normal as quickly as possible and we're continuing to liaise closely with the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Public Health England, and meeting with them regularly to review the very latest test results.

"We're confident that the work we are doing is helping water quality to return to normal as quickly as possible.

"We will be compensating all homes and businesses who have been affected by the boil water advice notice."