A scenic fishing village in southwest England, Brixham, was ordered to boil their tap water for a third day after more than 45 people fell ill due to cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite found in the water. South West Water’s Chief Executive Susan Davy apologized for the outbreak and assured that technicians were working to identify and fix the problem, which may have originated from a pipe in a cattle pasture. The crisis is not connected to Britain’s larger water issues but is indicative of an aging water system that is under distress. Clean water advocates blame the privatization of the water system in 1989 for prioritizing shareholders over customers and causing inadequate spending on updating plumbing systems.
Water companies in Britain have been criticized for frequent sewage overflows into rivers and oceans, leading to pollution and complaints from the public. An environmental group reported that 70,000 sewage releases spilled over 400,000 hours along England’s coast in the past year, with many near swimming spots. Thames Water is facing insolvency and potential nationalization after shareholders declined to invest further. Last week, raw sewage was pumped into England’s largest lake, Lake Windermere, after a pump failure, causing human waste to contaminate the UNESCO World Heritage site for 10 hours.
The recent outbreak in Brixham seems to have stemmed from a damaged air valve in a pipe located near a reservoir where cows graze. A primary school had to close due to lack of clean drinking water, and South West Water is providing free bottled water at three locations and offering increased compensation to affected customers. Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia predicts more cases of cryptosporidiosis in the coming days due to the incubation period of the parasite. Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall expressed concern over the water company’s slow response and poor communication with customers, vowing to hold them accountable.
South West Water has a history of environmental offenses and has faced charges for 30 illegal water discharges between 2015 and 2021. This outbreak highlights ongoing issues with the water system in the UK, despite efforts to address the problem. The company had previously been charged for illegal discharges and failure to comply with environmental permits, indicating a pattern of environmental negligence. Residents in Brixham are expected to continue boiling their tap water for at least another week, as more cases of cryptosporidiosis are likely to emerge due to the incubation period of the parasite. The lack of trust in the water network has heightened concerns over the water company’s handling of the situation and raised questions about the overall state of the water system in the UK.
