2,500 remain subject to boil water notice in Devon crypto outbreak

At the time of writing (19 May), 2,500 customers in Devon remained subject to a boil water notice, after South West Water found cryptosporidium in the water tank at its Hillhead reservoir on 15 May.

Initially, 17,000 households and businesses in the Alston and Hillhead water supply areas were told to boil water, with 14,500 of these in the Alston area advised as a precaution. Multiple tests have now confirmed Alston’s supplies are unaffected by the outbreak and water there is safe to drink.

A damaged air valve on private farmland in the Hillhead supply area has been identified as the possible cause of contamination. This has been isolated from the network and repaired. Investigations continue to understand how this happened and to rule out any other possible sources of contamination elsewhere in the network. The Hillhead tank has been drained and cleaned and the network is being flushed.

South West Water said all affected customers will automatically receive £115 compensation, with the 2,500 in Hillhead, upper parts of Brixham and Kingswear that remain subject to a boil water notice to receive an additional £100 for the ongoing disruption. There is a dedicated helpline for business customers to seek support.

As of 19 May, the company had provided 480,000 bottles of water to customers via collection points and with deliveries to vulnerable customers, schools and care homes.

By the end of last week, 46 cases of cryptosporidiosis had been confirmed, with more reporting symptoms. Most people will fully recover but those with weak immune systems can be hard hit. Ministers and all relevant agencies are involved in the response.

South West Water has apologised. Chief customer and digital officer Laura Flowerdew said: “This situation has caused an immense amount of disruption, distress and anxiety. We are truly sorry this has happened. The public rightly expect a safe, clean and reliable source of drinking water and on this occasion, we have fallen significantly short of expectations. We will not stop working until this has been fully resolved.”