County tap water 'safe to drink'

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Tap water in the flood-hit county of Gloucestershire is now safe to drink, it has been announced.

Up to 350,000 people were left without clean running water supplies when the treatment works at Mythe flooded during July's heavy rain.

Mobile water containers and bottled water were shipped in, with water only fit for sanitation uses back online after about 10 days.

Some 140,000 houses across the county were affected.

After being tested extensively, tap water now meets the standards set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate, meaning it no longer needs to be boiled before drinking, said Severn Trent.

'Unprecedented incident'

Tony Wray, Severn Trent Water's managing director, said: "Tap water can now be used for cleaning teeth, washing dishes, preparing food and infant formula and ice-making.

"We had to be 100% certain that all supplies were back up to the normal high standards before we could remove the boil tap water instruction.

"This whole incident has been unprecedented and we recognise the immense inconvenience that so many of our customers have faced during the last two weeks."

Supplies of bottled water will remain available until the incident closes but the majority of bowsers have now been withdrawn.