Boil notice lifted for another 700 homes after parasite outbreak in Brixham

Credit: PA Images

Residents in parts of Brixham have been told they no longer need to boil their water, seven weeks after a parasite was found in supplies.

The cryptosporidium parasite, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, was found in the water supply for the Brixham area on 15 May.

More than 40,000 people have been affected by the outbreak.

South West Water has been lifting restrictions in some areas of the town, now including more than 700 properties in Summercombe and Chestnut Drive.

But the notice is still in place for residents in a number of areas; Higher Brixham, Southdown, Upton Manor and St Mary's.

The source of the contamination has been identified as a damaged air valve casing on private land, which has now been removed and replaced.

In a statement on Tuesday 2 July David Harris, Incident Director at South West Water, said: “We are today lifting the boil water notice for 731 properties in the Summercombe and Chestnut Drive supply zone.

"Having lifted the boil water notice for properties in the Kingswear, Noss Marina, Hillhead Park and Raddicombe supply zones last week, our intensive work and monitoring has returned this part of the network to normal meaning the water in the Summercombe and Chestnut Drive supply zone now meets the high standards our customers expect.

"Our number one priority has always been the health and safety of our customers, businesses, and visitors to the region.

"We know this situation has been difficult for impacted people and we are sorry.

"As 678 properties in the Higher Brixham, Southdown, Upton Manor and St Mary's supply zone are on a different part of the network, the boil water notice will remain in place for them.

"We are still working in that area to return the water to normal and we will continue to keep our customers up to date with our progress."

A boil notice was issued by South West Water on 15 May, affecting around 40,000 people in the town. Credit: Piers Mucklejohn/PA

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.”

The statement continued: "We have flushed our network 27 times and installed filters, while laying over 1.2km of new pipework.

"Alongside this work, our teams have surveyed our pipes using specialised cameras and conducted regular sampling to be confident that the water supply has been restored to the high standards and to reassure customers that their water is safe when we lift the notices.

"Sample results have shown that ice pigging is highly effective in removing cryptosporidium from our network, allowing us to return the supply to normal once the work is complete and the network has settled.

"UV treatment and specialist microfilters then provide protective barriers to ensure that when we lift boil water notices, customers can be absolutely confident that the water is safe to drink.

"Today’s decision to lift the boil water notices for these properties was made in line with the principles agreed with public health partners, including the UK Health Security Agency and the local authority's Environmental Health department."

Bottled water will continue to be delivered to those still affected.

South West Water says it is confident it will be able to announce the further phases of lifting soon.