This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/06/lancashire-boil-drinking-water-cryptosporidium-bug
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Lancashire residents urged to boil drinking water | Lancashire residents urged to boil drinking water |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of thousands of people in Lancashire are being warned to boil their tap water before use to kill a microscopic bug. Tests at a water treatment plant have found traces of cryptosporidium, a parasite which can cause gastroenteritis and is commonly associated with diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea. | |
| The warning was issued on Thursday afternoon to United Utilities customers in large parts of Lancashire including Blackpool, Chorley, Fylde, Preston, South Ribble and Wyre. | |
| The water firm is advising all customers to boil their water for all drinking, food preparation and teeth brushing as a precaution until further notice. Residents can continue to use tapwater without boiling for general domestic purposes such as bathing, flushing toilets or washing clothes. | |
| The warning comes after routine tests at Franklaw water treatment works in Preston detected traces of cryptosporidium. | The warning comes after routine tests at Franklaw water treatment works in Preston detected traces of cryptosporidium. |
| Martin Padley, the chief scientific officer of United Utilities, said on Thursday: “The advice is being given purely as a precautionary measure as we carry out additional tests today. We apologise for the inconvenience but the health of our customers is absolutely paramount.” | Martin Padley, the chief scientific officer of United Utilities, said on Thursday: “The advice is being given purely as a precautionary measure as we carry out additional tests today. We apologise for the inconvenience but the health of our customers is absolutely paramount.” |
| United Utilities says it is monitoring water supplies and is hoping to be able to lift the warning as soon as possible. | United Utilities says it is monitoring water supplies and is hoping to be able to lift the warning as soon as possible. |
| A Lancashire county council spokesman said the warning was being issued as a precaution and that there were no plans to close schools in the area “at this stage”. |