Cryptosporidium infections rise as South West Water fail to fix Devon water contamination issue

Traces of the cryptosporidium parasite remain in part of the water network two weeks after it was initially discovered. Credit: PA

The number of confirmed cases of diarrhoea and vomiting caused by contaminated water in Devon has risen to 100.

The cryptosporidium parasite was found in the water supply for the Brixham area more than two weeks ago.

A boil notice was issued by South West Water on Wednesday 15 May - affecting around 40,000 people. While it has since reduced to cover around 2,500 homes, the issue is still not fixed.

In an update issued today (Thursday 30 May), the UK Health Security Agency said the total number of confirmed infections is "slowing down" but has now reached 100.

It comes after South West Water faced criticism over how it handled the situation.

Many residents feel the boil notice was put in place too late, and this led to more people being infected unnecessarily.

Water collection points have been set up for people affected. Credit: PA

When asked by ITV News why the boil notice was not issued earlier, South West Water's incident director David Harris said the firm was first notified of cases on the afternoon of Monday 13 May.

"We were in the field testing for crypto that evening and over that night," he added

"We had no evidence at all on the Tuesday morning from health, we had no evidence of where this crypto was coming from.

"Bearing in mind we continuously monitor for crypto at our water treatment works so we had no indication that it was our network versus for example swimming pools or anywhere else.

"We got that test result back at 5am on Wednesday and we put the boil notice on at 9.30am."

  • South West Water's David Harris speaks to ITV News West Country

Mr Harris confirmed the next stage of cleaning work - called 'ice pigging' - will begin tonight to try to clear the remaining cryptosporidium in the water network.

The technique sees an ice solution pushed along pipes using water pressure to clean every surface.

Customers may experience low pressure, discolouration and interuption to their water supply while the work is carried out.

"We are sorry that this is taking time," Mr Harris said. "We need to be absolutely confident we have fixed this problem before we can safely lift the boil water notice.

"Our teams continue to work around the clock to clean the network and to put interventions in place to prevent this from happening again. Our top priority is to return supply to the quality our customer expect and deserve, quickly and safely.”

South West Water says it is upping compensation for customers affected by this work by £50.

It means some people living in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear will receive £315 in total. Those in the Alston water supply area, who are no longer under a boil notice, will receive £115.

What are the symptoms of cryptosporidium infection?

Cryptosporidium is a parasite found in lakes, streams and rivers, untreated drinking water and sometimes in swimming pools. The main symptoms of cryptosporidium infection are:

  • Watery diarrhoea

  • Vomiting

  • Stomach pains

  • A fever

Symptoms may not begin for between two and 12 days after infection. Usually, symptoms of cryptosporidium infection will only last a couple of days but can continue for up to three or four weeks. The parasite can affect people with weak immune systems for much longer.

Speaking on the rise in confirmed cases, consultant in health protection for UKHSA South West Sarah Bird said: “While further cases may be reported due to the time lag between exposure and falling ill, the number of cases being reported is slowing down.

“As with any other sickness bug, it is really important to follow good infection prevention measures such as handwashing with hot soapy water, as alcohol hand gel is not enough to kill cryptosporidium. This will prevent further cases spreading from person to person through the community.

“Those with symptoms should stay off nursery, school and work for 48 hours since the last episode of illness, and anyone with diarrhoea should not go swimming for 14 days after their last episode of illness. This is really important to stop further spread of the illness from person to person.”

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