About 250,000 people in Northamptonshire are being told to boil tap water for drinking after a bug was found to have contaminated supplies.
About 250,000 people in Northamptonshire are being told to boil tap water for drinking after a bug was found to have contaminated supplies.
Tests found cryptosporidium in a sample from supplies to Northampton, Daventry and surrounding villages.
Routine tests by Anglian Water found cryptosporidium in a sample from supplies to Northampton, Daventry and surrounding villages at about 0100 BST.
The parasite causes stomach upsets and the most common symptom is diarrhoea.
The parasite causes stomach upsets and the most common symptom is diarrhoea.
Twenty schools in the area that rely on tap water for drinking fountains have now shut. Anglian Water scientists are trying to trace the bug's source.
Anglian Water is now conducting further tests to track down the source of the bug and then they will flush it out.
'Investigation needed'
The original tests found the bug in a sample taken from Pitsford Water Treatment Works which serves the area in Northamptonshire.
Twenty schools in the area that rely on tap water for drinking fountains have now shut.
Head teacher Penny Howell explains why some schools were forced to close
About 108,000 homes across 85 communities in the north of Northamptonshire are affected by the contamination.
About 108,000 homes across 85 communities in the north of Northamptonshire are affected by the contamination.
Anglian Water vans equipped with loudspeakers have been sent out to warn people about the problem.
Anglian Water vans equipped with loudspeakers have been sent out to warn people about the problem.
Head teacher Penny Howell explains why some schools were forced to close
Dan Baker, spokesman for Anglian Water, said the investigation being carried out was a "big job" and might mean people having to boil their drinking water for some time yet.
A spokesman for Anglian Water said: "Due to the size of the area affected, bottled water will only be delivered to special needs customers on Anglian Water's WaterCare register as soon as possible.
"It could take weeks," he said. "We are working to get to the source of it.
"The outbreak is likely to last days rather than hours but we are not putting a timescale on it until we know more."
"Once we have got to the source of it, we need to sample, and once we have done that, and once we are happy that the samples have come back, we need to flush the whole system to make sure there is no water left in there which was affected. So it is a really, really big job."
Supermarkets in Daventry are running out of bottled water because of panic buying.
Northampton MPs Sally Keeble and Brian Binley have called for a full investigation by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) into the pollution of the town's water supply.
Mary Ellis, 57, from the Headlands, said: "I went to Tesco this morning and every trolley had bottled water in it.
In a statement the MPs said: "It is appalling that the water supply for such a large and complex urban area could have become contaminated with cryptosporidium which is potentially a very serious problem for elderly people, young children and those who have health problems.
"The shelves were empty and there was an announcement saying that people could only buy a certain amount of water."
"We hope that Anglian Water will very quickly establish the extent of the pollution, and how to deal with it."
'Be vigilant'
'Be vigilant'
Some supermarkets in Daventry ran out of bottled water because of panic buying in the morning.
Mary Ellis, 57, from the Headlands, said: "I went to Tesco this morning and every trolley had bottled water in it."
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said in a statement: "At present there are no confirmed cases of people who have been infected with cryptosporidium.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said in a statement: "At present there are no confirmed cases of people who have been infected with cryptosporidium.
"The agency has written to local GPs and hospitals asking them to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of cryptosporidiosis."
"The agency has written to local GPs and hospitals asking them to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of cryptosporidiosis."
Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains, dehydration, weight loss and fever. The illness can be more serious in people with weak immune systems such as the elderly or very young.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains, dehydration, weight loss and fever. The illness can be more serious in people with weak immune systems such as the elderly or very young.
As the illness appears similar to many other infections, the only way to make an accurate diagnosis is from laboratory testing.
An outbreak of cryptosporidium in Norfolk last year, caused by floods, affected 6,000 homes and businesses and took nearly 10 days to clear as Anglian Water had to flush out the system.
Drinking fountains
Care homes, doctor's surgeries and hospitals in Northamptonshire are priorities for bottled water but some supermarkets are restricting sales to five bottles per family.
Care homes, doctor's surgeries and hospitals in Northamptonshire are priorities for bottled water but some supermarkets are restricting sales to five bottles per family.
Penny Howell, head teacher of Chiltern primary school in New Duston, Northampton, said she decided to close after Anglian Water said they were not able to supply the 200 bottles of water she needed for the 203 pupils until Thursday afternoon.
Penny Howell, head teacher of Chiltern primary school in New Duston, Northampton, said she decided to close after Anglian Water said they were not able to supply the 200 bottles of water she needed for the 203 pupils until Thursday afternoon.
Northampton General Hospital said it was coping with the problem as its kitchens had the ability to boil water for cooking and tap supplies had been isolated.
Northampton General Hospital said it was coping with the problem as its kitchens had the ability to boil water for cooking and tap supplies had been isolated.
Anglian Water advises customers with worries about their health to contact their GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
Anglian Water advises customers with worries about their health to contact their GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
Do you live in Northamptonshire? Have you been told to boil your water? Or has your child's school been closed as a result of this bug? If you have been affected by the cryptosporidium bug send us your comments and experiences using the form below:
Do you live in Northamptonshire? Have you been told to boil your water? Or has your child's school been closed as a result of this bug? If you have been affected by the cryptosporidium bug send us your comments and experiences using the form below:
