Water, water everywhere … most is now safe to drink in an English village after parasite outbreak

LONDON — Most residents living near a picturesque fishing village in southwest England, where a parasite in the water sickened more than 45 people, were told Saturday they could safely drink the water again.

South West Water said it had lifted its boil notice for most of the 17,000 homes and businesses around the Brixham area of ​​Devon that had been affected 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 more people have reported similar symptoms, the UK Health Security Agency said. Symptoms may last more than two weeks.

The water company said it consulted with public health officials before lifting the boil advisory for all but about 2,500 customers after rigorous testing showed the water was safe for most of the area.

“This situation has caused immense disruption, distress and anxiety. “We are very sorry this happened,” said water company spokeswoman Laura Flowerdew. “The public rightly expects a safe, clean and reliable source of drinking water and on this occasion we have failed to live up to expectations.”

The outbreak announced Wednesday was not related to the larger water problems affecting Britain, but was 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 stop. fix

South West Water faces charges at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court of 30 offenses involving illegal discharges of water or breaches of environmental permits between 2015 and 2021, the Environment Agency said.

Flowerdew said Friday that the outbreak could be caused by a damaged air valve in a pipeline that runs through a field where cows graze and is near a reservoir.

An elementary school was forced to close Thursday because it did not have drinking water. The water company said it provided 386,000 bottles of water to its customers.