Water parasite victim still buying bottled water

Tanya Matthews: "I don't think I'll ever get my trust back"

A mother who was affected by an outbreak of a cryptosporidium parasite in Devon, said she still did not feel her water supply from South West Water was safe.

Tanya Matthews, from Brixham, said: "We still have zero trust in the water here, I'm still buying bottled water."

More than 100 cases of cryptosporidium were confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) following the outbreak in the Brixham area in May.

South West Water's parent company Pennon Group said Ofwat had confirmed that the group’s rating was improving across all its businesses including SWW.

The source of the contamination was traced to a number of tanks supplying the area

But South West Water has been told it must pay back £17.4m to customers next year after missing key targets on pollution and leaks.

Ms Matthews said many others in Brixham were also still buying bottled water because of the "neglect of the network here".

"I don't think I'll ever get my trust back," she said.

"We're paying South West Water but we're also having to pay for bottled water."

About 16,000 households and businesses in the area were advised by SWW to boil their water and bottled water was handed out to residents.

The source of the contamination was traced to a number of tanks supplying the area.

Water companies in England and Wales have been ordered to return £158m by water watchdog Ofwat which assesses the performance of water companies against key targets, for issues such as sewer flooding, supply interruptions and water leaks.

'Significant investments'

Pennon Group said it was making significant strides in several key areas.

It said: "For customers in Devon and Cornwall we protect their homes more than any other water company as a top performer for internal sewer flooding for four years.

"We are proud of the recognition given to our customer engagement efforts, with South West Water’s initiatives to reduce customer water usage standing out as an effective way to promote sustainability."

It added: "Our strategy focuses on long-term resilience and environmental responsibility, with significant investments made to safeguard future water supplies."