Welsh Water Cryptosporidium Outbreak Warning

03/09/2008

A consumer watchdog has warned that there is "no room for complacency" after 45,000 people in north Wales were told to boil their drinking water. Welsh Water issued its third warning in three years after a rise in bacteria was detected at a treatment plant. The company says the warning for customers in Gwynedd and Anglesey will stay in place for at least two weeks. Cryptosporidium is a parasite found in humans and animals and can cause temporary diarrhoeal illness.

The advice to boil applies to the Bangor, Menai Bridge and Llanfairpwll areas, as well as the village of Capel Curig. The area's tap water comes from the Mynydd Llandegai water treatment works, which takes supplies from the Marchlyn Bach and Ffynnon Lligwy reservoirs.

The National Public Health Service for Wales has asked local GPs to report any cases of diarrhoea and to take samples to be tested for gastrointestinal infections such as cryptosporidium. It is "closely monitoring" the levels of illness in the area affected and advising people to maintain good personal hygiene - including washing hands with soap and warm water if they had vomiting and diarrhoea or were looking after someone who was ill.

For several days in mid-August, almost 5,000 people in the Tywyn, Aberdyfi, Bryncrug, Rhyd-yr-Onen and Brynglas areas of Gwynedd were also advised to boil their tap water after the quality was affected by heavy rainfall. It followed tests which showed some cryptosporidium parasites in the water. In November 2005 a total of 231 people were left ill in Gwynedd and Anglesey after cryptosporidium affected affected a Snowdonia reservoir. The water company was fined £50,000 after admitting supplying unfit water in that case.

Over the recent months there has been a number of similar incidents affecting residents in Northampton and more recently Gwynedd in Wales. Irwin Mitchell currently represents a number of clients who were injured as a result of contracting Cryptosporidium. The cases continue.

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