According to South West Water’s “Service Updates” web page this afternoon:
Boil water notice – Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham
We have set up a bottled water collection point at Broadsands Car Park TQ4 6HX which will be ready by 7pm. It will be open until 10pm tonight and tomorrow (16/05/2024) from 6am – 9pm. In the meantime, we are delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers.
Please do not drink your tap water without first boiling it and allowing it to cool. This applies to water used for drinking, cooking, preparing food or brushing teeth. Boiled water can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You may use the tap water for washing, bathing and toilet flushing.
Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming following new test results for cryptosporidium. We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning. We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses updated.
SWW include this map of the affected area in their announcement:
The service update also provides this background information:
- The data from our tests over the last several weeks showed that the treated water leaving our treatment works was not contaminated. However, in the Hillhead section of our network further tests taken overnight and working with the advice of UK Health Security Agency we have found small traces of cryptosporidium and are therefore issuing the boil water notice.
- Cryptosporidium can cause sickness and diarrhoea if consumed – drinking water can become contaminated due to various reasons but we are fully investigating the cause.
- We ask that customers informed of the notice do not drink tap water without first boiling it and allowing it to cool.
- This should also be done for preparing or cooking food or cleaning teeth. Boiled water can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Water can continue to be used as normal for washing, bathing and toilet flushing.
- If people have consumed the water and feel unwell, they should follow the advice on UKHSA’s website here: www.gov.uk/guidance/cryptosporidium-public-advice
- Boil water notices will be hand delivered to affected customers and the postcodes impacted by the notice are listed on our website.
Torbay Council issued a press release, stating that:
South West Water (SWW) has confirmed that low levels of Cryptosporidium has been found in the local supply of water in and around Brixham.
The water company is advising residents in Brixham, Churston, Galmpton, Broadsands, Hookhills and White Rock areas to boil drinking water until further notice.
SWW will be hand delivering notices to all the properties affected. Text messages have also been sent.
You can check properties that have been affected by looking at the map on the SWW website.
SWW are issuing this as a precaution following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.
Bottled water stations are being set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.
For those customers registered for Priority Services, SWW will be delivering bottled water direct to them.
We will continue to work with SWW and the UK Health Security Agency on this and will provide further updates when we get them.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant, Torbay’s Director of Public Health, said: ““We’re working with SWW and the UK Health Security Agency, NHS Devon and the Environment Agency to investigate 22 confirmed cases of cryptosporidium.
“There are further cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to Brixham under investigation and more confirmed cases are expected.
“I would advise people to wash their hands thoroughly when handling food and after using the toilet, to help prevent the spread of further infection.
“Please follow the advice to stay away from nursery, school and work for 48 hours since the last episode of illness and do not swim for two weeks after being unwell.
“Anyone with a diarrhoeal illness should drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and if they have severe symptoms like bloody diarrhoea, they should contact NHS 111 or their GP surgery.”
P.S. This evening Torbay MP Kevin Foster posted on X (formerly Twitter):
Brixham MP Anthony Mangnall suggested that:
According to the BBC this morning:
An outbreak of a diarrhoea-type illness is expected to last for “at least” a week in south Devon, with people told to boil their tap water until further notice.
Public Health said 22 cases of cryptosporidiosis had been confirmed in Brixham and up to 100 people had reported symptoms to their GP in the last week.
Infections from the parasite cryptosporidium can be caused by drinking contaminated water or swallowing it in swimming pools or streams.
A Brixham primary school has closed as it said running a school without drinking water was “not possible”…
Prof Paul Hunter, a specialist in microbiology and infectious disease, said cases would continue to climb even after the source was found.
He said: “It’s difficult to know how big these outbreaks turn out to be and it depends on whether the contamination event is a very short lived thing.
“The difficulty here is that cryptosporidium can take up to about 10 days before you become ill, so even if they stop the infection today we’d still see new cases occurring for at least another week to 10 days.”
South West Water announced a second bottled water collection point at Freshwater Quarry car park:
Customers in the Alston and Hillhead areas of it local water network, which supplies customers in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and North West Paignton, we have set up a second bottled water collection point. From 10am this morning our team are ready to greet you at… pic.twitter.com/C3hZqiyOmk
— South West Water (@SouthWestWater) May 16, 2024
P.S. SWW have issued another press release about the cryptosporidium outbreak, the start of which reads as follows:
[Update – May 17th]South West Water has announced it will be increasing its compensation to customers in Brixham in recognition of the impact to them following the detection of cryptosporidium in the area.
Yesterday (15 May) the company’s extended monitoring and sampling found small traces of cryptosporidium in the Hillhead area of its local water network.
South West Water issued a boil water notice to around 16,000 households and businesses in the area, advising them not to use their tap water for drinking or washing without boiling and cooling it first.
As part of the boil water notice, customers were told they would be given £15 compensation under South West Water’s Customer Promise.
South West Water has confirmed it will now increase the compensation by £100 to say sorry for the stress and worry the situation has caused. This will automatically be paid to customers and the company will continue to keep the level of compensation under review.
South West Water is also setting up a dedicated phoneline to talk to local businesses and water retailers about the impact this may have had on them and to fast-track any compensation due.
Laura Flowerdew, South West Water’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, said: “We sincerely apologise for the impact this is having on our customers in the Brixham and Alston areas.
“Protecting the health of our customers and providing them with a clean, fresh drinking water supply is our number one priority and we will continue to work around the clock to make sure that happens as soon as possible.”
South West Water is working closely with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate how cryptosporidium is getting into its network so it can be fixed and the drinking supply returned to the high quality standards expected by its customers as quickly as possible.
The company has set up two bottled water collection points at Broadsands Car Park in Paignton, and Fresh Water Quarry Public Car Park in Brixham, where customers can collect bottled water. It continues to deliver bottled water for those customers that need it.
If any customers are unsure whether they are in the affected areas, they can check on South West Water’s postcode tracker at https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/household/help-support/in-your-area/service-updates
South West Water announced a third bottled water collection point at Churston Car Boot Field:
❗️ We have now opened a 3rd bottled water collection point at Churston Car Boot Field, TQ5 0PG on Langdon Lane off the A379. This is in addition to Broadsands Car Park, TQ4 6HX and Freshwater Quarry Car Park, TQ5 8BA which are open and here until 9pm this evening.
— South West Water (@SouthWestWater) May 17, 2024
Our team will… pic.twitter.com/LZEA3ud7np
Meanwhile, according to the BBC:
[Update – May 18th]The number of confirmed cases of a waterborne disease in south Devon has more than doubled, health officials say.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said cases of cryptosporidiosis, an illness that causes prolonged diarrhoea, had risen to 46.
More than 100 people have also reported symptoms, it said.
According to the BBC this morning:
People living in the area affected by a waterborne parasite outbreak in south Devon have described the impact on their lives as “terrible” and a water company’s response to the situation as “poor”…
South West Water (SWW) said it believed it had found the source of the issue and said it was sincerely sorry for the impact the incident was having.
But people living in the area have criticised the water firm’s handling of the “scary” incident…
About 16,000 homes and businesses have been advised to boil water before drinking it until further notice.
SWW said it was draining the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area of Brixham was still being investigated as a potential cause for the outbreak.
Kayley Lewis, 33, said she and other members of her family had been suffering from cryptosporidium symptoms since 5 May, adding she had lost about 6lb (3kg) in weight in six days.
She said her 13-year-old son had become so ill, they had had to rush him to hospital after blood was found in his vomit, which she said was “scary” to deal with.
On Tuesday, SWW officials said there were no issues with its treated water and tap water was safe to drink, but 24 hours later told residents to boil their water after traces of cryptosporidium were found.
Ms Lewis said initial advice and the later U-turn summed up the “disgusting” way SWW had responded.
Ms Lewis said: “They took samples from my neighbours and even said to them it’ll be 24 hours until we get the results.
“But two hours later they mentioned on social media that it was fine to drink the water in Brixham when clearly it wasn’t OK to drink.”
P.S. This afternoon South West Water published another “Service Update”, which reads as follows:
Customers in the Alston water supply area no longer need to boil water before use.
Customers in the Hillhead water supply area still need to boil water before use.
We have now reduced the number of customers impacted by the boil water notice in the Brixham area after water quality monitoring results confirm no traces of cryptosporidium in the Alston supply area. Properties in the Hillhead supply area are still subject to a boil water notice.
On Wednesday 15th May, we issued a boil water notice to around 17,000 households and businesses in the Alston and Hillhead supply areas, advising them not to use their tap water for drinking, eating or cleaning their teeth without boiling and cooling it first.
This was the result of finding cryptosporidium in the Hillhead supply area in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A boil water notice was also issued to properties in the Alston supply area at this time as a necessary precaution.
Seven separate tests have now been undertaken by specialists in the Alston supply area, all of which have found no traces of cryptosporidium. A sample has also been has been independently analysed by a third-party laboratory today, also confirming no contamination.
We are now in the process of contacting around 14,500 households in the Alston supply area to let customers know they can use their tap water as normal.
In parallel we are contacting 2,500 households in the Hillhead supply area (Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear) to remind customers to continue to boil their drinking water before consuming it.
Today’s decision was made in consultation with the UK Health Security Agency and the local authority’s Environmental Health Department.
Dr Bayad Nozad, Consultant in Health Protection at UKHSA South West said:
“We are pleased that South West Water have lifted the boil notice for a large number of residents, which reflects the confidence of the outbreak control team that a probable source of the contamination has been identified and mitigations are in place.”
“We advise those still under the boil notice to follow the advice and boil their drinking water and allow to cool before use.”
A damaged valve on private land in the Hillhead supply area has been identified as the possible cause of contamination, which has since been isolated from the network and repaired. We are urgently investigating how this happened, while working to rule out any other possible sources of contamination elsewhere in the network.
Ground teams are working hard over the weekend and into next week to fully resolve the issue. South West Water will only lift the remaining boil water notice when it is entirely satisfied it is safe to do so. Regular testing will also continue throughout the network.
Recognising the ongoing disruption to customers in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear area over the weekend and into next week, an additional £100 compensation will be paid to affected customers in that area, giving each customer a total of £215. This payment will be made automatically where we have direct debit details or applied as a credit to their next water bill where we do not.
We have now setup a dedicated helpline for business customers to help them understand how we can support them, including questions relating to any compensation. Any claims will be fast tracked and reviewed on an individual basis. Businesses are urged to call us on 03332 343 293. This line is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
For those customers still impacted by the boil water notice in the Hillhead area, we are continuing to offer bottled water stations at:
- Freshwater Quarry Public Car Park (TQ5 8BA)
- Broadsands Car Park (TQ4 6HX)
- Churston Car Boot Sale Field (TQ4 7BQ).
The update also included this video from SWW’s Chief Executive, Susan Davy:
Today’s “Service Update” from South West Water reads as follows:
David Harris, Drought and Resilience Director at South West Water said: “Over 200 South West Water staff and our contractors are on the ground today working to urgently resolve the situation in the Hillhead supply area, where we are still advising around 2,500 properties to boil their drinking water before consuming.
“We have already identified a probable cause at Hillhead – a damaged air valve on private farmland – and are urgently investigating how this happened. The Hillhead reservoir has been successfully drained, thoroughly cleaned, and we will start refilling today. We will also start flushing the wider Hillhead network today, which is being continuously monitored as we work to eliminate any traces of cryptosporidium. We will not lift the boil water notice in Hillhead until we and our public health partners are completely satisfied it is safe to do so.
“I want to again apologise for the immense disruption this is causing. This should not have happened, and I promise we will fix this problem as soon as possible.
“Yesterday we advised around 14,500 properties in the Alston supply area they no longer need to boil their drinking water. This followed several water quality monitoring results this week confirming no cryptosporidium. I want to reassure customers that daily water quality monitoring will continue across Hillhead and Alston supply areas.
“As of last night, our team has successfully completed letterbox deliveries informing residents who are still subject to a boil water notice. We continue to urge customers who are unsure whether they are still affected by a boil water notice to check South West Water’s website, or to call our dedicated customer contact team today.
“We know the profound impact this is having on families. Compensation has been increased to £215 – almost half the amount of an annual average bill – for those customers still subject to boil water advice in the Hillhead, upper Brixham and Kingswear areas. This payment will be made automatically where we have direct debit details or applied as a credit to their next water bill where we do not
“We also know this situation is already having an impact on tourism ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend and stand ready to support our local traders and businesses. I urge affected businesses to contact our customer service team on 03332 343 293 so we can fast track any compensation claims.
“Our bottled water stations in Broadsands, Freshwater Quarry and Churston will remain open to customers across the Brixham area. We have handed out and delivered almost 480,000 bottles of water since the start of the incident, including direct deliveries to vulnerable customers and schools, hospitals and care homes.”
Here are the results of samples collected for crypto analysis in relation to the current Brixham water quality event. Samples are typically collected over 6-24hours and reported the following morning.
Here are SWW’s crypto analysis results for the Hillhead supply system:
According to today’s “Service Update” from South West Water:
We are sorry for the continued disruption that customers in the Hillhead supply area are experiencing. The health and safety of our customers remains our number one priority and we’re working tirelessly to resolve the situation as quickly and as safely as possible.
We remain focused on cleaning, flushing and testing our network and will continue to keep customers updated on how this is progressing.
In order to lift the boil water notice, we need to record three consecutive days of clear tests across the entire Hillhead supply area (i.e. across both the Hillhead and Boohay storage tanks and associated water networks). We are making good progress and continue to work with our Public Health partners.
The health of our customers remains our main priority and we will lift the boil water notice when it is absolutely safe to do so.
The diagram below outlines the supply system in the Alston, Hillhead, Brixham and Kingswear supply areas and highlights where restrictions currently apply.
According to today’s “Service Update” David Harris, Incident Director at South West Water, said that:
“Over the past week we have cleaned our reservoirs and flushed the network several times in an attempt to remove the remaining traces of cryptosporidium. While our water quality samples are showing progress in recent days, further intense work is needed to fully remove any contamination.
“I am sorry this is taking time, but we need to be absolutely confident we have fixed this problem before we can safely lift the boil water notice.
“This morning, we have completed cleaning of the water mains after the Alston water supply area and leading into the Hillhead Supply Tank and fitted filters at the Boohay Supply Tank which will help prevent cryptosporidium entering the Kingswear part of the network. We are also undertaking a similar process to install filters at Hillhead Supply Tank over the coming days. We are also strengthening our interventions by putting ultraviolet light treatment at Hillhead this week which will also further prevent any future recurrence of this issue.
“Further aggressive scrubbing and cleaning of mains pipes is ongoing and our teams will continue to work around the clock until the job is done and we can safely lift the boil water notice.
“I want to reassure customers and businesses that we are doing everything we can to restore supply to the quality our customers expect and deserve and put interventions in place to prevent this from happening again.”
Here are the latest cryptosporidium test results:
According to David Harris of South West Water:
We continue to make progress with the latest phase of our cleaning work, which successfully started last night.
We are continuously testing water samples to check for the presence of Cryptosporidium. Our scientists then follow a detailed testing process which involves filtering a large volume of water through special filters designed to capture any Cryptosporidium ‘oocysts’. Our teams are working around the clock to flush and deep clean the systems to remove any remaining cryptosporidium.
Our water quality samples are showing good progress, however, further intense work is ongoing to fully remove any contamination.
We know this is frustrating and difficult for customers and businesses and we are sorry. We must be confident we have fixed this problem before we can safely lift the boil water notice.
Our teams of engineers and scientists are continue to work around the clock to clean the network and to put interventions in place to prevent this from happening again. Our main priority is to return supply to the quality our customers expect and deserve, quickly and safely.
To be continued…
