Pennon lifts Brixham boil notice and appoints new CFO

South West Water has now lifted the boil water notice for all customers affected by the cryptosporidium outbreak near Brixham.

The company confirmed on 8 July, after issuing the boil notice on 15 May, that it was safe for the the last remaining customers affected to return to normal usage. It reassured the public that, along with replacing the damaged air valve casing where the bug entered the system and thoroughly cleaning the network, it had put also put “a triple layer of protection” in place – microfilters and UV at its tanks and in-line microfiltration in the supply zone – to provide additional barriers.

In a letter posted on the website, chief executive Susan Davy said: “Over the past eight weeks, over 1000 South West Water network technicians, engineers, water quality scientists and contractors including Suez, Kier, Network Plus and Galliford Try have worked on rotation 24 hours-a-day. Their work has included the cleaning and testing of more than 30,000 kilometres of pipework, cleaning and flushing the network almost 30 times, ‘ice pigging’ and the installation of crypto filters and ultra-violet machines. We have laid more than 1.2 kilometres of new pipework, and completely cleaned Hillhead and Boohay reservoirs.”

She added: “We are sorry for the disruption that has been caused and we will do all we can to earn back the trust of our customers, businesses and visitors to the area.”

• Laura Flowerdew has taken over from Steve Buck as Pennon Group’s chief financial officer. Buck, who joined from Anglian Water less than a year ago, stepped down for personal reasons. Flowerdew is an internal appointment. She has been Pennon’s chief customer and digital officer, and was previously CFO of Bristol Water.