South West Water pleads guilty over cryptosporidium outbreak in Devon

South West Water has pleaded guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption after an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in a Devon seaside town.

A total of 143 people were confirmed to have caught the waterborne disease, which causes sickness and diarrhoea, after it entered the water network in Brixham almost two years ago, due to a damaged valve in the network.

Following reports of people falling ill and finding traces of the cryptosporidiosis in the water network, the company told residents in areas of Brixham to boil their water before using it. At the same time, water bottle collections were set up across the area.

At Exeter Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the water company pleaded guilty to supplying water unfit for human consumption within the Littlehempston Water Supply Zone between 31 March and 1 June 2024.

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The prosecution was brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which has asked the chairman of the bench to send the case to the crown court to “send a message that the criminal justice system will treat cases like this with the utmost seriousness”.

Following the outbreak, South West Water chief executive Susan Davy, who stepped down last year, said she was “truly sorry”.

Locals had complained over a lack of communication from the company and the knock-on impact of the incident on tourism for the town.

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She said: “To those in the affected area and our customers across the South West, I am truly sorry for the disruption and wider anxiety this has caused. While incidents like these are thankfully very rare, our customers expect a safe, clean, and reliable source of drinking water.”

The incident was investigated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

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