E. coli scare: People in Oxted told to boil drinking water

People should boil and cool water before using it for drinking, food preparation, brushing their teeth or giving to pets

People in parts of Surrey are being told to boil their water before drinking it over fears it could contain E. coli.

Hundreds of postcodes in the Oxted area have been affected.

SES Water said an issue was discovered during routine tests, and "our teams are working to investigate the problem and restore supplies to their usual high standards".

The scale of the contamination has not yet been confirmed.

The water company is awaiting further test results.

In the meantime people in the area are being told to boil all water and let it cool before using it for drinking, preparing food or cleaning their teeth.

Pets should also be given boiled tap water.

Boiled water can be kept in the fridge, and should be covered and used within 24 hours.

What is E. coli?

• Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are found in the intestines of humans and animals. There are many different types, some are harmless and others can cause a variety of diseases.

• The bacterium is found in faeces and can survive in the environment.

• E. coli bacteria can cause a range of infections including urinary tract infection, cystitis (infection of the bladder), and intestinal infection.

• E. coli bacteraemia (blood stream infection) may be caused by primary infections spreading to the blood.

Source: Public Health England

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