A picturesque fishing village in southwest England was told on Friday to boil its tap water for three days after the parasite sickened more than 45 people in the latest case of Britain’s water crisis.
Around 16,000 homes and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told to boil their water after cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea, was found in the water. There are at least 46 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis, and more than 100 others have reported similar symptoms, according to the UK Health and Safety Executive. Cases may persist for more than two weeks.
South West Water chief executive Susan Davey apologized for the outbreak and said engineers were working to identify and resolve problems that may have been caused by the cow pasture pipes. He said he is working around the clock.
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“I am truly sorry for the confusion and anxiety this has caused,” Davey said. “We know that we fell well short of your expectations this time.”
This crisis is unrelated to the UK’s ongoing large-scale water crisis, but it is emblematic of an aging system in crisis.
Water companies have been under fire for more than a year to stop frequent sewage flooding into rivers and the sea. It literally creates a foul odor, makes swimmers sick, pollutes fishing rivers, and invites public outcry to clean up the act.
People collect bottled water at Broadsands car park in Paignton, England, on May 17, 2024. Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to boil their tap water and use it for drinking without cooling it. Small traces of the parasite were found in the local water network. (Ben Birchall/Pennsylvania via AP)
Environmental groups reported this week that there were 70,000 sewage spills along England’s coasts last year over a total of 400,000 hours. More than a quarter were within two miles of a swimming hole, Friends of the Earth said in an analysis of government data.
Clean water advocates blame the problem on Britain’s privatization of water in 1989. They argue that companies are putting shareholders before customers and not paying enough to update outdated plumbing systems.
The largest, Thames Water, is on the verge of bankruptcy and faces the risk of being nationalized after shareholders refuse to pump in more cash, company executives said.
Earlier this week, millions of gallons of raw sewage were pumped into England’s largest lake in a sign of new problems. A backup system pumped human waste into Lake Windermere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for 10 hours after a pump failed due to a malfunction, the BBC reported.
Officials say the cryptosporidiosis outbreak is not the first time Southwest Water has faced problems.
The company has been charged at Plymouth Magistrates Court with 30 offenses for illegally discharging water and breaching environmental permits between 2015 and 2021, according to the Environment Agency.
Southwest spokeswoman Laura Flowerdew said the recent outbreak appears to have stemmed from a damaged air valve in a pipe that runs through a field where cattle are grazing near the reservoir.
A primary school was forced to close on Thursday due to a lack of clean drinking water.
The water company is offering free bottled water at three locations and has increased compensation to customers from $19 to $145.
Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said more people were likely to contract cryptosporidiosis in the coming days and weeks because of the delayed incubation period.
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“Even if we stop all new infections at the moment, we would still expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks,” he told the BBC.
Anthony Mangnall, the Conservative councilor for the area, said residents were likely to have to boil water for another week. He expressed concern about the water company’s response to the outbreak and vowed to hold them accountable.
“Their actions were slow and their communication with customers was very poor,” Mangnall said. “This has certainly eroded confidence in our water network.”
