Yesterday SWW stated that all its current water supply tests had come back clear and that customers should continue to use their water as normal………….
Anita Merritt www.devonlive.com
South West Water (SWW) has confirmed that further testing has found the presence of cryptosporidium in two areas of Brixham. Yesterday, May 14, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed 16 cases of the infection and around 70 reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in Brixham, with more cases reported by victims on social media.
Yesterday SWW stated that all its current water supply tests had come back clear and that customers should continue to use their water as normal. Today, May 15, it has announced it has detected ‘small traces’ of the organism in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham.
Residents living in those areas are being advised to boil their drinking water before drinking it and bottled water stations have been set up for them. Cryptosporidium is a parasite which can cause sickness and diarrhoea if consumed. Drinking water can become contaminated for various reasons and SWW says it is fully investigating the cause.
It added that data from its tests over the last several weeks showed that the treated water leaving its treatment works was not contaminated. However, in the Hillhead section of its network, further tests taken overnight and working with the advice of UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), it has found ‘small traces’ of cryptosporidium.
A South West Water spokesperson said: “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. Bottled water stations will be set up in the affected areas as soon as possible.”
East Devon Watch 
The response from SWW, initially incorrect as regards to the source I gather, seems less than appropriate if the media have reported it correctly. In particular many in the vulnerable or non IT savvy categories have not been fully informed.
SWW should, in my opinion, have an emergency plan to deal with such incidents. Such plans would include measures to make bottled water freely available, and sound advice, to all at convenient locations.
Given that scams are so frequent these days and that emails and the like may not be trusted, I would also suggest door knocking by uniformed staff in clearly marked SWW vehicles, with loudspeakers, should be considered as ways of reaching some of the more vulnerable.
I would expect SWW to review their emergency planning for such events, when this is over.
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