South West Water is being taken to court docket over a parasite that contaminated the water provide in elements of Devon final summer season and left dozens sick.
Greater than 140 folks have been confirmed to have the diarrhoea-type illness, which additionally causes abdomen pains and vomiting, sometimes lasting for about two weeks. 4 folks have been hospitalised on the time.
About 16,000 households and companies within the Brixham space have been informed by the water firm to not use their faucet water for consuming with out boiling it first.
A water tank at Hillhead reservoir had been discovered to include the parasite, the corporate stated on the time. The contamination brought on mass disruption within the space, with holidaymakers cancelling their guesthouse bookings and a college having to close.
The Consuming Water Inspectorate (DWI) stated the summons had been issued to the corporate for prosecution for potential offences beneath part 70(1) of the Water Trade Act 1991. This makes it a legal offence for a water firm to produce water that’s unfit for human consumption.
Marcus Rink, the chief inspector of the DWI, stated: “The Brixham incident was severe with important impression on the general public and the broader group. Accordingly, I contemplate it acceptable to move the matter to the court docket to contemplate the proof within the public curiosity.”
Caroline Voaden, the Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, applauded the DWI’s resolution, saying: “I’m happy to listen to that the Consuming Water Inspectorate has determined to take South West Water to court docket over the cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham final yr. It’s vital we discover out precisely what South West Water knew, and when, and why they informed folks the water was protected to drink when it wasn’t.
About 16,000 households and companies within the Brixham space have been informed by the water firm to not use their faucet water for consuming with out boiling and cooling it first. {Photograph}: Bloomberg/Getty Pictures
“A lot of my constituents nonetheless don’t belief the consuming water and are paying for bottled water greater than a yr on from the outbreak. This incident affected the entire group, broken companies, harm the native financial system and, most significantly, made many individuals severely ailing. It’s taken a very long time to get thus far, however lastly, we’re seeing South West Water dropped at account.”
A spokesperson for South West Water stated: “We are going to mirror on this summons. South West Water has cooperated absolutely with the Consuming Water Inspectorate from the outset of this incident to assist in its investigations.
“We take this incident extraordinarily critically, and we are going to proceed to have interaction absolutely in response to those authorized proceedings. Within the meantime, our focus stays on delivering clear protected consuming water to our 2 million clients throughout Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly.”
