A primary school in Brixham has been forced to close today (Thursday, May 16) after South West Water (SWW) confirmed a parasite has contaminated the drinking water. Eden Park Primary School in Brixham announced that it would not be opening to pupils today following the outbreak.

Molly Seaman www.devonlive.com 

SWW revealed that a ‘small trace’ of the parasite Cryptosporidium had been found in the water in Brixham yesterday afternoon despite previously telling residents its tests were clear. It advised people in the affected area to drink boiled and cooled tap water to avoid contracting the parasite.

Bottled water stations were set up yesterday to provide clean, safe water for residents to take home. However, Eden Park Primary wrote to parents yesterday evening to say they had not received any bottled water.

In a post to parents, Eden Park said it would be closing today as it could not safely open for students without clean drinking water. The full statement issued last night said: “Eden Park Primary School were only informed this afternoon (15/5/24) that the school was in an area where the tap water should be boiled.

“The school have taken swift action to put safety plans in place and contact the appropriate authorities about providing safe drinking water.

“At the time of writing this update (7.30pm), and despite repeated calls to South West Water about the urgency of the situation, the school has not received any bottled water or assurances of when water will be delivered. To enable parents and carers to make childcare plans for the morning, leaders have made the difficult decision to close the school tomorrow, Thursday 16th May.

“All Year 6 children should attend the school as usual, to complete their final SATs paper in the morning. They should bring their own full water bottle and be collected at 11:15am. The school will also provide bottled water for children and staff in school tomorrow. No other children should attend the school.

“A further update will be provided tomorrow afternoon, regarding the opening the school on Friday 17th May. Thank you for understanding with this rapidly changing situation.”

It is thought hundreds of residents are experiencing a range of symptoms including watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, a mild fever, and loss of appetite.

Cryptosporidium is a parasite that can live in the intestines and faeces of infected humans and animals. It can spread through swimming in or consuming contaminated water, but can also be passed on in food.

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.”