Over 2,000 homes still affected by cryptosporidium a month after outbreak

Over 2,000 homes in Brixham are still having to boil their tap water, a month after South West Water confirmed that the parasite cryptosporidium had contaminated water supplies.

Last week (June 14), a further 21 customers had the boil water notice lifted, but a remaining 2,073 households in the wider Hillhead, upper Brixham and Kingswear areas are still being advised to boil tap water.

Despite advising residents that their water tests had come back clear the day before, South West Water announced that it had found traces of the parasite on May 15.

Cryptosporidium, which causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, had contaminated the water supply through a damaged air valve on private land.

While over 100 people have been confirmed to have been infected by the UK Health Security Agency, it’s believed that many more were also affected. The damage to the local economy through loss of tourism has also been devastating.

South West Water emphasise that they are “working around the clock” to return drinking water to the remaining affected residents, and that water quality monitoring will continue across the network for the foreseeable future.

Laura Flowerdew, South West Water’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, said: “We want to thank our customers, visitors and local businesses for their continued patience while our teams work hard to clean the network and put interventions in place to prevent this from happening again.

"We are pleased to be able to remove the boil water notice for 21 customers along the Hillhead to Boohay main. We want to reassure everyone that we have taken all the necessary steps, including rigorous sampling, to be sure their water is safe to use as normal.

“We are working around the clock to lift the boil water notice for the remaining customers in the Hillhead, Upper Brixham and Kingswear area. Cryptosporidium levels are reducing as a result of our work but we will only lift the notice further when we are completely sure it is safe to do so."