Hundreds of homes in Surrey have been issued a ‘do not drink’ notice by Thames Water, as samples collected after a fuel leak revealed high levels of hydrocarbons in the water supply.
A total of 616 homes in Bramley, south of Guildford, have been told their water is currently unsafe to drink following the discovery of hydrocarbons — a chemical compound which forms the basis for crude oil, natural gas and coal.
It comes as locals in Devon are still boiling tap water following a parasite outbreak in the water supply, with cases of infection now reaching 100.
Households in Bramley have been warned not to drink their tap water or use it for cooking, or brushing their teeth, but they can continue to use the water to shower and wash their hands.
Bottled water and letters detailing the risk are currently being delivered to the households affected.
The warning threatens to be an election setback for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, the MP for the constituency.
The Conservative MP yesterday had a call with the UKHSA, DEFRA, Thames Water and Asda who acquired the village petrol station.
Thames Water has been regularly collecting and assessing water samples in Bramley following a historical fuel leak from the village petrol station.
Test results have indicated that there has been a ‘possible deterioration’ in water quality in some areas.
As a result, the ‘do not drink’ advice has been put in place as a ‘precautionary measure’.
A total of 616 homes in Bramley, (pictured) south of Guildford, have been told their water contains high levels of hydrocarbons, making it unsafe to drink
A map depicting the village of Bramley, south of Guildford, where the ‘do not drink’ notice has been issued by Thames Water
Thames Water has been collecting and assessing water samples in Bramley following a historical fuel leak from the village petrol station (pictured: Thames Valley logo)
Mr Hunt held a meeting with Thames Water CEO Chris Weston in April to discuss water outages, slow compensation payments and sewage spills. He is due to hold another public meeting in June.
It comes as cases of cryptosporidium, a parasite that primarily infects people through faeces-contaminated drinking water has now reached 100.
Most of the infections are in Devon but outbreaks have also been reported in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire over the past two months.
The most serious outbreak relates to faecal-contaminated drinking water in Brixham, Devon, which started earlier this month.
However, dozens more Brits, including children, have fallen severely ill since the end of March after outbreaks at petting farms.
Whole streets in Brixham have been infected with victims forced to endure days of diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps, with one sufferer even comparing them to ‘childbirth.
Residents have been forced to boil water for over a week to make it safe to drink, with some shops running out of bottled supplies due to panic-buying.
South West Water handing out emergency rations of bottled water to anyone affected by the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Torbay
Bottled water has been supplied to residents in Brixham following an outbreak of cryptosporidium in the water supply
Staff from South West Water at the scene of the outbreak at Hillhead Farm in Brixham
The source of the outbreak appears to be damaged air valve in the water supply line which ‘may have allowed animal waste or contaminated groundwater to enter the local supply’.
While faecal contaminated water is the classic way people get infected with cryptosporidium there are other ways you could be struck down with the bug.
One of these is direct contact with infected animals, a fate that potentially seems to have befallen dozens of Brits in recent months.
A spokesperson for Thames Water said: ‘Thames Water would like to reassure its customers that the village water supply has been safe to drink up to this point, as confirmed through its rigorous water testing, which has also been subject to regular review working alongside UKHSA throughout this period.’
Tess Fayers, Operations Director for the Thames Valley and Home Counties said: ‘We are asking 616 Bramley properties not to drink the tap water following recent water sampling results.
‘The health and safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we would like to reassure residents that this is a precautionary measure. We are in the process of delivering letters and bottled water to the affected properties.
‘We are also identifying locations to set up bottled water stations, and we will share this information with our customers as soon as possible.
‘We are already on site in the village, proactively replacing sections of our pipes on Horsham Road to reduce the risk to our customers.’
An Asda spokesperson said: ‘We are continuing to work closely with Thames Water and other partners to address the issues we inherited after acquiring the Bramley PFS site. We recognise the impact this has had on the residents of Bramley and share their frustrations. We are committed to working with all parties to resolve this situation as quickly as possible.’
