More than 100,000 households in Northamptonshire are being told to boil tap water for drinking after a bug was found to have contaminated supplies.
More than 100,000 households 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.
Tests found cryptosporidium in a sample from supplies to Northampton, Daventry and surrounding villages.
The parasite causes stomach upsets and the most common symptom is diarrhoea.
The parasite causes stomach upsets and the most common symptom is diarrhoea.
Fourteen schools in the area which rely on tap water for drinking fountains have shut. Anglian Water scientists are trying to trace the bug's source.
Seventeen 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.
About 250,000 people across 85 communities in the north of Northamptonshire are affected by the contamination.
About 250,000 people across 85 communities in the north of Northamptonshire are affected by the contamination.
'Safety comes first'
'Days not hours'
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.
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.
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.
The outbreak is likely to last days rather than hours Anglian Water spokesman
"The company apologises for the inconvenience this will cause, but stresses that the health and safety of its customers must come first.
"The outbreak is likely to last days rather than hours but we are not putting a timescale on it until we know more."
"The outbreak is likely to last days rather than hours but we are not putting a timescale on it until we know more."
Supermarkets in Daventry are running out of bottled water because of panic buying.
Mary Ellis, 57, from the Headlands, said: "I went to Tesco this morning and every trolley had bottled water in it.
"The shelves were empty and there was an announcement saying that people could only buy a certain amount of water."
'Be vigillant'
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."
Homes in Northampton, Daventry and villages must boil water
Symptoms include watery 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 symptoms are 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.
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.
In the present outbreak in Northampton care homes, doctor's surgeries and hospitals are priorities for bottled water but some supermarkets are restricting sales to five bottles per family.
Drinking fountains
Drinking fountains
The Anglian Water spokesman added it was necessary to boil water for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth - though water was safe for washing.
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.
A statement from Northamptonshire County Council said: "In light of the warning to households in the county to boil water, schools in those affected areas are being advised to close if they do not have stocks of bottled water."
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.
"We decided early to close but many parents had not seen the news so brought their children to school and about 50% of them come from five or six miles away.
"They just did not realise the scale of this problem. A lot of the larger schools have drinking water supplied in barrels but the smaller school have tap water drinking fountains and you just cannot stop the children using these."
Samples scrutinised
Northampton General Hospital said it was coping with the problem as their 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 their kitchens had the ability to boil water for cooking and tap supplies had been isolated.
A spokeswoman said: "We had supplies of bottled water on site and Anglian Water are going to replenish these and they may even send a tanker to us.
"At present all our 600 beds are occupied and we can still use supplies for toilet flushing, washing and showers so we are coping."
The water company is investigating the cause of the outbreak which the spokesman said affects one of their largest water sources at Pitsford Reservoir, north of Northampton.
Analysts, who scrutinise about 1,000 water samples every day, spotted the contamination during the routine tests. They raised the alarm when one of the tests failed and was checked a second time.
The results of the second test came out early in the morning and an alert was issued - but tracing the cause may take a long time as the reservoir supplies such a wide area and a large number of homes.
Two separate outbreaks of cryptosporidium in the Highlands of Scotland in August last year were blamed on high levels of rainfall and both took several days to put right.
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:
