Brixham: Water firm apologises as expert says Devon dirty water crisis 'could last two weeks'

Cases of a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite in a coastal area of Devon could continue for two more weeks, an expert has warned.

Dozens of visitors and residents in the Brixham area are said to have fallen ill after drinking tap water contaminated with a parasite, which is believed to have been caused by manure entering the water supply.

Around 16,000 households and businesses in the area have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first.

The local water company has apologised, while businesses are predicting losses of "many thousands" of pounds.

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine and infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said on Friday residents should "expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks".The parasite could "absolutely" still be in the incubation period for lots of residents, he told BBC Breakfast on Friday.

"The incubation period can be about 10 days to two weeks,” Mr Hunter said.

People collecting bottled water at Broadsands Car Park in Paignton (Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

"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."

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 22 cases of cryptosporidium - a waterborne disease caused by a microscopic parasite, which causes sickness and diarrhoea - had been confirmed in the fishing town.

The true number of cases is expected to be larger, the UKHSA said, as other reports of residents and visitors falling ill with diarrhoea and vomiting are also being investigated.

“Small traces” of cryptosporidium have been found in the local water network.

The chief executive at water company South West Water (SWW) has said she is “truly sorry” for the crisis.

The firm’s chief customer officer, Laura Flowerdew, said it is possible that cattle manure caused the contamination.

A damaged air valve on a pipe in a field containing cattle has been identified as a potential source of the issue.

SWW issued a “boil water notice” for Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham. Residents are being urged to boil water and let it cool before drinking it, preparing or cooking food or cleaning their teeth, though the company said water can continue to be used as normal for washing, bathing and flushing the toilet.

Meanwhile residents have reported difficulty sourcing bottled water as panic-buyers have been stocking up, leaving supermarket shelves empty.

Kathy Hudson, 67, told MailOnline she has been ill since last week with “cramps, diarrhoea, sickness and dizziness”, and she said her eczema has also flared.

“There is no water left in any of the shops in town,” she told the news outlet.

Another local resident named Lisa told Good Morning Britain she too was suffering from the stomach bug, and had “no energy” and “really bad stomach cramps”.

Some residents say they have been feeling unwell for around a fortnight.Michael Smith, co-owner of the Venus Cafe near Brixham, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday they had seen a 40 per cent drop in business in the last two days and had not been contacted by SWW "in any fashion".

He said: "During the week at the minute we're not super busy, but we're losing four, five hundred pounds per day the last couple of days.

"Come the weekend, sunshine next week and the week after, we're talking many thousands (of pounds)."

SWW initially said it would pay £15 in compensation to customers but this has been increased to £115.

The company’s chief executive, Susan Davy, said they have been delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers and local business, including schools, and made it available to residents.

Eden Park Primary School was closed on Thursday due to not having drinking water.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, it said that “despite repeated calls to South West Water about the urgency of the situation, the school has not received any bottled water or assurances of when water will be delivered”.

Year 6 pupils were allowed to attend to complete their final SATs papers, but had to bring their own water.

SWW chief executive Ms Davy has apologised for the incident.

“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.

“I know on this occasion we have fallen significantly short of what you expect of us.”

Ms Flowerdew told Sky News: “We have identified that there is a damaged air valve on our network just near the Hillhead reservoir but we absolutely want to make sure that that is the only source and therefore are just ensuring that we’ve gone through all the right operational procedures.”

Asked if it was animal faeces that infiltrated the network, she told the broadcaster: “We understand that this is a valve on one of the pipes that head towards the Hillhead reservoir, not on the reservoir itself.

“It’s in a farmer’s field and I understand that there are cattle in that field and therefore there’s a possibility that that is therefore the source of the contamination.”

She added that work is still under way to determine the cause of the contamination but that the damaged air valve “does look like it’s a potential source”.

Ms Flowerdew would not say how long the issues will last, telling Sky News: “We are working hard to be able to give more decisive information about that timeline.”

Anthony Mangnall, Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon, attended a meeting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to receive an update from South West Water (SWW) and the UKHSA on Thursday and said residents are likely to have to boil water for another week.

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 disease can be picked up directly from the faeces of another person or animal, from swimming in or drinking contaminated water, or even by eating contaminated food such as unwashed vegetables.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister understands the stress and worry this has caused residents.

“He’s very clear that this must be investigated thoroughly by the Drinking Water Inspectorate and UK Health Security Agency.”

The Government has announced a quadrupling of inspections and provided increased powers to Ofwat and the Environment Agency to hold water companies to account, she added.

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