More Devon illness instances anticipated as MP claims heads ‘must roll’
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More cases of disease in Devon are expected today as Totnes and South Devon MP claims heads ‘have to roll’ over the dangerous parasite found in drinking water.
Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Friday that 46 cases of cryptosporidium had now been confirmed in the fishing town, up from 22 cases on Thursday, and that more cases were anticipated.
More than 100 cases of sickness have been reported.
Anthony Mangnall, Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon has said ‘head are going to have to role’ over the outbreak.
Anthony Mangnall, Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon helping to distribute clean bottled water in to residents in Brixham who have been affected by the infected water
Bottled water ready to be distributed to the 16,000 residents in south Devon who have been affected by sickness, stomach pain and diarrhoea from infected water
Cases of disease in Devon following water contamination have now doubled to 46 with more expected today
Despite several complaining to South West Water that their tap water had developed an unpleasant taste and was causing sickness, stomach pain and diarrhoea, locals were repeatedly told it was safe to drink.
UKHSA has said that reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to Brixham was under investigation.
MPs including the Health Secretary Victoria Atkins have criticised South West Water and said there are serious issues that need to be answered.
Mr Mangnall, who has been out distributing water in his constituency to affected residents said that South West Water’s response to the parasite outbreak in the seaside town has been ‘contemptible and just generally incompetent’.
He said: ‘The predominant failure is the fact that earlier in the week, South West Water was asked whether or not this was to do with their network and they categorically ruled it out, only for them to change their position 24 hours later, which I think is contemptible and just generally incompetent – and it’s put a lot of people’s health at risk.
‘That, to me, is one of the most serious indictments because they were made aware of this by a large number of people, including myself who raised this with them, and so to not actually respond in a manner that would safeguard public health, I think is deeply problematic.’
Mr Mangnall said what caused a faulty air valve – which has been identified as a likely source of the contamination – was not yet known, adding: ‘I’ll be raising this in the House, I’ll be raising this continually with the local authorities to make sure we’re holding South West Water to account.
‘I want to understand how often they routinely check their systems – I mean, if this is a broken valve, why wasn’t it identified sooner before people got ill?’
He added: ‘But, as I’ve been quoted quite regularly, I’m absolutely determined not to jump the gun on this.
‘I want to make sure that before we get to the sentence, we know the verdict – that to me is really important.’
The Tory MP, whose Totnes constituency includes Brixham, said he would make sure ‘a good level of compensation’ is provided to local businesses that have lost money because of the waterborne disease outbreak.
He added: ‘I’ve already been out over the last few days making people aware of the compensation that’s available for businesses and retailers.
‘I will make sure that’s a good level of compensation, and I’ll be there to support businesses.
‘But the other thing is, Brixham is still open for business and it needs support now, more so than ever.’
He added: ‘We’ve got to help build the town back up, and that’s going to take some time do – and South West Water is going to be absolutely on the line for compensation on that front as well.’
This comes after Mr Mangnall told the BBC it was important to find out what had gone wrong.
A map showing the affected area where bacteria has caused locals to suffer from sickness, stomach pain and diarrhoea
Residents collect bottled water at Broadsands car park in Paignton. Locals were told that their water was safe to drink despite becoming sick.
Devon locals queue to receive bottled water after they were told not to use water from their taps over fears of disease
He added: ‘From the handling thus far to the delays in communication with the community to the denial at the beginning makes me deeply concerned about the management at South West Water.
‘That to me is pretty indicative that at some point heads are going to have to roll over this.’
Mr Mangnall also said it had been ‘an absolutely disastrous week and the anger is palpable’.
Speaking to LBC News today, Mr Mangnall said: ‘This is such a serious matter that yes, I think heads are going to roll over this, but it’s more important to get the system back up and running, make sure people have confidence in the network rather than pointing fingers.
‘So, it’s been an absolutely disastrous week and the anger is palpable.’
Dr Lincoln Sargeant, Torbay’s director of public health, said the initial contamination of water in Brixham has been ‘more or less dealt with’ but delays in symptoms developing may cause the number of cases to increase for ‘up to two weeks’.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Sargeant said the waterborne disease was ‘unpleasant but self-limiting’ for most people while it was ‘vulnerable people who are at risk for more severe illness’.
He added: ‘It’s important for listeners to recognise that in terms of the initial contamination that we think is more or less dealt with, so with the boiled water notice, with bottled water, we are pretty sure now that no one needs to continue to be affected by contaminated water and we know that South West Water is now actively doing work to flush through the system to make sure that ongoing contamination does not occur.
‘However, it’s important to recognise that people may continue to develop symptoms from that initial contamination up to 10 days, some people may even up to two weeks, so the numbers may increase but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the situation is getting worse.
‘Equally, we are no longer, as you’ve noted, we’re no longer asking people to come forward for testing – we can rely on the pattern of symptoms to give us an idea of the real scope and size of the outbreak.’
Dr Bayad Nozad, consultant in health protection at UKHSA, said the Government agency was aware of further reports of illness above their confirmed numbers.
He said: ‘Please do not contact medical services to report cases unless you need urgent clinical care. If your symptoms last longer than seven days, or if you experience more severe symptoms such as blood in your poo, please contact your doctor who may recommend taking a sample for testing.
‘Those with symptoms should stay off nursery, school and work for 48hrs since the last episode of illness and anyone with diarrhoea should not go swimming for 14 days after the last episode of illness.’
The cases of disease are starting to be felt by locals in other ways.
Business are struggling to cope as tourists stay away form the popular holiday spot.
A guest house manager said the waterborne disease outbreak has caused guest cancellations totalling ‘up to £1,000’ and has heard ‘nothing direct at all’ from South West Water.
Steve Price, who runs The Station Guesthouse in Brixham, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘So for us at the moment, we are seeing guests actually cancelling.’
He said his business was ‘following all the guidance’ to ensure visitors’ safety, adding: ‘So we’re trying everything we can to make sure that when guests do come that they feel comfortable and they feel safe.
A resident from Brixham drives up to a bottled water station. An expert warned that more cases of illness is the next two weeks, with the parasite still in its ‘incubation period’
Jacob Lewis, 13, had to spend the night in hospital with severe dehydration caused by the cryptosporidium parasites
Jacob’s mum Kayley Lewis has two other children who have become ill and has been experiencing symptoms herself. She wants water bosses need to do more to rectify the issue
‘We’re also e-mailing all our guests at the moment to let them know we’re doing all this to try and put them at ease, to encourage them still to come and visit us because of course it’s a lovely area.’
Asked about what contact his business had with South West Water, Mr Price said there had been ‘nothing direct at all’.
‘We’ve had to instigate any contact, there has been notifications coming from Torbay Council about numbers to contact but it’s a shame for commercial businesses because we’ve had no one come round,’ he added.
Asked how much his business had lost, he said: ‘So far, probably anywhere from up to £1,000 in cancellations so far, which is fairly substantial.’
The effect of the infected war has been severe with locals ending up in hospital.
A 13-year-old boy was hospitalised after drinking tap water infected with parasites.
Kayley Lewis’s son Jacob was rushed to hospital on May 5 with dehydration and blood in his vomit after ingesting cryptosporidium parasites which leaked into water supplies in Brixham, south Devon.
She said: ‘They should have acted quicker. I think the bosses need to come down here and arrange something at Brixham Town Hall so they can speak to the people who are affected and explain what happened and when.’
She also criticised the £115 compensation payments being offered by the firm, saying victims deserve more.
‘I was angry when I found out the cause,’ she said. ‘We had joked that it must be something in the water but only because we were sure it was a bug.
Residents on Raddicombe Close in Hillhead say half the street has been struck will illness after drinking infected tap water
Long queues can be seen formed on a road in Devon as people queue up for bottled water
‘When Jacob fell ill we were told to keep him hydrated so we fed him more water, which actually made him worse.’
After six days of vomiting, stomach pains and watery diarrhoea, Kayley called 111 and was advised to take football-loving Jacob to hospital.
Kayley said: ‘Jacob was quite ill on May 5, he had blood in his sick, so they said he needed to go to A&E. My partner drove him to Torbay Hospital and stayed in with him because I couldn’t leave my other two. But I was also feeling crampy at this point.
‘Jacob ended up in hospital overnight with severe dehydration. I then started to feel really unwell the following day and had awful stomach pains and watery diarrhoea which lasted six days.
‘My other son Oscar is doing his SATS exams this week but I am having to drop him off just to sit his exam and then pick him up due to him still having diarrhoea and cramps. Both my boys have missed a lot of school due to it too.
‘My youngest daughter Daisy has only had stomach cramps. I took in my sample to the doctors and they have said every sample is now going to a team that is investigating.’
The family lives a short distance downhill from the Hillhead reservoir which has been traced as the source of the outbreak.
On one street in Brixham, more than half of residents fell ill after drinking tap water infected with a waterborne parasite.
Retiree Janet Merritt, 67, said: ‘Most people up here have been ill. I thought it was just me but we have a Facebook group and everybody was saying the tap water doesn’t taste right.
‘I became unwell and developed severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea was terrible, I poured myself a drink of water from the tap and it had a strange aftertaste so I said to my husband I’m going to let SWW know and contact my GP. They were very polite but I got an email back saying we’ve tested the water it’s safe. I decided to boil it anyway as I don’t trust it.
‘It’s not rocket science if so many people are getting sick and the water doesn’t taste right there is a connection.
‘I’m angry because what they should have done is tell people to boil the water earlier as a precaution but they didn’t.
‘I don’t feel we have been protected and they could have looked out for our wellbeing.’
