Crypto investigations continue in Brixham and MPs criticise SWW response

South West Water (SWW) continued its cryptosporidium investigation and supply restoration work in the Hillhead, Upper Brixham and Kingswear areas across the bank holiday weekend. At the time of writing, a boil water notice remained in place for 2,500 residents, around 15% of the number initially affected.

SWW has again raised its compensation payment for Hillhead households, by £50 to £265, and has been delivering bottled water to all affected customers, though its collection points still operate.

Responding to an Urgent Question in Parliament last week, environment secretary Steve Barclay confirmed the Drinking Water Inspectorate had completed phase one of its investigation into the incident, and is working on phase two. At the time of speaking, he said 46 cases had been confirmed, with two people hospitalised, after cryptosporidium was reported on 13 May, and a boil notice issued on 15 May.

Conservative MP for Totnes, Anthony Mangnall, who secured the Urgent Question, slammed SWW for a slow initial response to the incident, poor communication and damage to the local economy.

He said: “In Brixham the anger is palpable, the frustration is apparent and the sheer inconvenience that has been put on residents by SWW is absolutely abhorrent. I have spent the past week and weekend delivering leaflets that SWW should have been delivering — it has failed to update residents on the situation before them. I have spoken with residents and businesses about compensation and the reputational damage suffered by Brixham, one of this country’s finest coastal communities.

“Last week, SWW was accused of making people ill, not by an organisation, but by Tanya Matthews in a Facebook post. That post received 1,200 responses in which people identified common symptoms, yet SWW did nothing. For 24 hours, people were still able to drink the water and SWW continued to say that there was no problem. The reason 46 people are ill — and that is most certainly an underestimation — is the time period in which they were able to go on drinking the water.”

Labour’s Plymouth MP and former shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, said: “There is a crisis of confidence in SWW. Its response has been hopeless, frankly. It has had poor communications, poor initial compensation, as every extra pound seems to be dragged out of it, and it has a record of failure on sewage. What will the Government do to help restore confidence that SWW is not only competent and able to manage our water supply, but that the water that comes through our taps is safe for everyone to drink? How can we encourage people to have faith in the outstanding and brilliant tourist offer that we have in the south-west, which has been battered yet again by bad news because of SWW?”

• The EFRA Committee had planned a session on 5 June to quiz SWW’s chief executive on the outbreak, along with United Utilities’ chief executive on alleged illegal sewage discharge to Lake Windermere. However, Parliament will now be dissolved on 30 May.