Residents of Brixham in Devon have been targeted in a scam involving calls from people purporting to represent South West Water (SWW) and offering the £215 compensation available to those affected by a local outbreak of cryptosporidium. SWW has advised that customers do not need to do anything to claim compensation as payments would be automatically paid. The firm urged customers to report any suspicious calls to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime. Bogus callers are requesting customers’ direct debit details, according to SWW.
On Wednesday, boil water notices were issued to 17,000 households following the discovery of traces of cryptosporidium in the local water supply network. Around 46 cases of the illness have since been confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency. On Saturday, SWW lifted restrictions on 14,500 households, allowing them to drink tap water safely. However, the firm is encouraging approximately 2,500 households in Hillhead, Kingswear and the upper parts of Brixham to boil drinking water and use bottled alternatives.
SWW has faced criticism for its handling of the outbreak. The firm initially declared tap water to be safe on Tuesday before reversing the advice the following day. Conservative MP for Totnes, Anthony Mangnall, has said the company’s response has been ‘contemptible and generally incompetent’. SWW has apologised for the impact of the outbreak. The cause of the contamination has not yet been confirmed by the company, although damage to a valve on private land in Hillhead has been identified as the ‘possible cause’ and isolated from the network
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More