'Boil water notice' lifted in Chorley, Preston and South Ribble
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Version 0 of 1. Another 86,000 households in Lancashire have been told they no longer have to boil their water following the outbreak of a parasitic bug in the main supply. Related: Lancashire water warning lifted for 80,000 homes On Sunday United Utilities lifted the “boil water notice” on properties in Chorley, Preston and South Ribble. This follows the first phase of restrictions to be lifted last Thursday in other areas including Blackpool. About half the 300,000 households hit by the outbreak have now been told that they can use their water as normal. By Wednesday it is expected that two-thirds of the affected United Utilities’ customers will be back to normal service. Homes and businesses in Lancashire were first warned to boil their water before use on 6 August after traces of the microbial parasite cryptosporidium was found at a water treatment works in Preston. United Utilities has said that customers will be getting compensation but has yet to say how much, prompting criticism and for the time taken to get water supplies back to normal. The company responded that eradicating the bug from a water network covering 2,500 miles of pipes is a complex process. Cryptosporidium exists in the environment in a form called an oocyst, which is less than a tenth of the thickness of a human hair. Infection with the parasite can cause diarrhoea and abdominal cramps. Gary Dixon, United Utilities’ customer services director, said: “We have now been able to remove the ‘boil water notice’ for half of all customers originally affected. Our plans are in place to provide bottled water to schools and colleges in the areas still affected so that they can open as usual when term starts this week. “We are making good progress in clearing the final traces of the bug, and expect to have good news for the vast majority of remaining customers by the end of the coming week. “The ‘boil water notice’ will only be lifted in remaining areas once we and our partner agencies are completely satisfied that there is no risk to public health. We remain extremely grateful to our customers for their ongoing patience and understanding.” Public Health England has stated that there have been no confirmed cases of sickness linked to the water supply in the area so far. Confirmation letters are being sent to the latest group of customers who no longer need to boil their water and a variety of other communications, including text messages and social media, are being used to keep customers up to date. To check the postcodes where the restrictions are lifted, customers can visit United Utilities’ website, www.unitedutilities.com, or call the freephone number, which is 0800 912 7241. |