A picturesque fishing village in southwestern England was told to boil tap water for a third day on Friday after a parasite sickened more than 45 people in the latest example of Britain's water system trouble.
Around 16,000 homes and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon were told to boil water after cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhoea, was found in the water. At least 46 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been confirmed and more than 100 people have reported similar symptoms, the UK Health Security Agency said. Cases can last more than two weeks.
South West Water chief executive Susan Davy apologized for the outbreak and said technicians were working around the clock to identify and fix the problem which may have arisen from a pipe in a cattle pasture.
POTENTIALLY FATAL DOG PARASITE FOUND IN PART OF THE COLORADO RIVER FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAVING SPREAD FROM OTHER STATES
“I am very sorry for the disruption and widespread anxiety this has caused,” Davy said. “I know that on this occasion we have not more than fulfilled what was expected of us.”
The crisis is unrelated to Britain's current major water problems, but is emblematic of an aging and struggling system.
Water companies have been under fire for more than a year to stop frequent sewage overflows into rivers and oceans that have literally caused a bad smell, sickened swimmers, polluted fishing streams and sparked a public outcry for them to be stopped. fix
People collect bottled water at the Broadsands car park in Paignton, England, May 17, 2024. Around 16,000 homes and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use tap water for drinking without boiling it and cool it first, following the discovery of small traces of a parasite in the local water network. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)
An environmental group reported this week that 70,000 sewage spills over a total of 400,000 hours along the coast of England last year. More than a quarter were within two miles of a swimming spot, Friends of the Earth said in its analysis of government data.
Clean water advocates have blamed the problems on the privatization of Britain's water system in 1989. They say companies have put shareholders before customers and have not spent enough to upgrade outdated plumbing systems. .
Thames Water, the largest of the companies, is on the brink of insolvency and its leaders have said it is at risk of being nationalized after shareholders refused to pump in more cash.
Earlier this week, in another sign of trouble, millions of gallons of raw sewage were dumped into England's largest lake. After a fault caused the pumps to fail, backup systems pumped human waste into UNESCO World Heritage Site Lake Windermere for 10 hours, the BBC reported.
According to authorities, the cryptosporidiosis outbreak is not the first time South West Water has encountered problems.
The company faces charges at Plymouth Magistrates' Court of 30 offenses involving illegal water discharge or failure to comply with environmental permits between 2015 and 2021, the Environment Agency said.
The recent outbreak appears to stem from a damaged air valve in a pipeline that runs through a field where cows graze and is near a reservoir, said Laura Flowerdew, a spokeswoman for South West.
An elementary school was forced to close Thursday because it did not have drinking water.
The water company provides free bottled water at three locations and has increased compensation to customers from $19 to $145.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said more people are likely to become ill with cryptosporidiosis in the coming days or weeks due to a delay in the incubation period.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Even if they had already stopped all new infections, you would expect to see more cases for at least 10 days to two weeks,” he told the BBC.
Anthony Mangnall, Conservative Member of Parliament for the area, said residents would likely have to boil water for another week. He said he was concerned about the water company's response to the outbreak and promised to hold it accountable.
“They have been slow to act and communication with customers has been very poor,” Mangnall said. “This has certainly undermined confidence in our water network.”
