South West Water (SWW) will offer its Brixham customers compensation following the recent outbreak of cryptosporidium, according to Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall. Many businesses in the area have been severely impacted by the boil water alert that was put in place in response to the outbreak. Mangnall stated that, “I am absolutely determined to see SWW pay Brixham town’s businesses, the community and residents the money they deserve for this disastrous week.” He has set up a meeting between Brixham’s Chamber of Commerce and SWW to discuss how compensation will work.
David Harris, incident director at SWW explained that compensation has currently been increased to £215 for approximately 2,500 customers still requiring boiled water in the Hillhead, Upper Brixham and Kingswear regions. Harris added that the company was “working 24 hours a day” to return its customers to clean and safe water, emphasising that public health partners believe the supply to be safe for usage only when they are completely satisfied. Bottled water stations in Broadsands, Freshwater Quarry and Churston are operational between 07:00 and 21:00 BST.
Alex Foley, owner of the Guardhouse Cafe Berry Head, spoke about the difficulties of the past week, claiming the boil water alert had caused “challenging days and I lost a lot of sleep.” Foley also discussed the significant financial impact, stating, “Over the four or five days since this news broke, we’ve lost about £5,000 in turnover.”
The cause of the outbreak is being urgently investigated SWW, with the company examining a damaged air valve on private land. The firm has also begun flushing the wider Hillhead network to “eliminate any traces of cryptosporidium
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