Cryptosporidium - is anyone having to boil their water?

Ours is definitely Southern Water.

gsm I am aware that you are a conservative with both large and small. “C”, which of course means that you prefer things to largely remain as they are.

Not for me I’m afraid.

I hate that our rivers are dying, that rivers like the Wye that I swam in as a child and even took my own children as teenagers to canoe and swim in - is no longer healthy.

If no one “stirs” the status quo nothing will ever change and our waters will become places of utter filth.

I’m in the same water area as you Whitewave and additionally we live only about ten miles from the coast. Sewage is regularly pumped into the sea and everyone around here knows that. Having said that I think our sewage is operated by Portsmouth Water, although we don’t live in Portsmouth. It could be Portsmouth who are pumping into the sea. Our drinking water is supplied by Southern Water.

Whitewavemark is expressing her opinion, which is what we all do on this forum. Does it count as 'stirring the pot' only when you don't agree with it?

I thought you were stirring the pot? I’ll leave you to it.

Germanshepherdsmum

I shall await the outcome of the current investigations rather than stirring the pot.

We are way past the time when the pot needs stirring. We need serious change to the way our water industry is run and regulators with a serious bite.

I shall await the outcome of the current investigations rather than stirring the pot.

Germanshepherdsmum

vegansrock

Foreign owners aren’t interested in water quality, they are only in it for financial benefits. It’s disgusting . A few years ago we cleaned up our beaches and had EU blue flags, not any more. Am due to go on half term holiday in South Devon. Now seriously reconsidering

The shareholders don’t dictate operational matters.

No they simply laugh all the way to the bank. That is the major issue.

Germanshepherdsmum

He cannot possibly say what the outcome will be. If someone has sabotaged the water supply and that person can be traced, of course they will be prosecuted.

Oh yes that old chestnut.

The truth is that our waters, including, rivers, ground water, sea and drinking water are being contaminated on a daily basis whether from sewerage, burst/cracked pipes, toothless regulators etc.

The amount of prosecutions can be counted on one hand. An example if this is my local provider Southern Water - they regularly pump thousands of gallons of water into our river and sea, day after day. About 3 years ago the EA managed to fine them millions of pounds. But they took the hit and have done practically zero about the issue. It is almost as if they bake in these fines rather than spend money in renewing the infrastructure.

vegansrock

Foreign owners aren’t interested in water quality, they are only in it for financial benefits. It’s disgusting . A few years ago we cleaned up our beaches and had EU blue flags, not any more. Am due to go on half term holiday in South Devon. Now seriously reconsidering

The shareholders don’t dictate operational matters.

vegansrock

Foreign owners aren’t interested in water quality, they are only in it for financial benefits. It’s disgusting . A few years ago we cleaned up our beaches and had EU blue flags, not any more. Am due to go on half term holiday in South Devon. Now seriously reconsidering

This is one area of Brixham.

Whilst it is frightening, there are in fact thousands of cases of Cryptosporidium in many areas of the country annually.

I am not saying it is ok, far from it, but I wouldn't cancel or change a holiday because of this unless I had actually booked to stay in thst area of Bricham in the next couple of weeks.

He cannot possibly say what the outcome will be. If someone has sabotaged the water supply and that person can be traced, of course they will be prosecuted.

www.dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water/cryptosporidium/

Foreign owners aren’t interested in water quality, they are only in it for financial benefits. It’s disgusting . A few years ago we cleaned up our beaches and had EU blue flags, not any more. Am due to go on half term holiday in South Devon. Now seriously reconsidering

We have been warned that it is almost certain that people will die as a result of the failure of the water companies.

Then we voted in a party which we hoped might take water back into public ownership.
Sadly, they didn't ☹

Water is the most basic for human life. Why on earth did we allow profit to be attached to basic necessity?

Because the great British public voted in a party that sees everything in terms of profit and money; and has no idea what the word service means.

We are now suffering the consequences.

Germanshepherdsmum

He wasn’t speaking about this specific incident though, as the source is as yet unknown.

What he did say was that whoever is at fault, absolutely no one will be held responsible, or accountable. Everyone will deny responsibility and they will all get away with it. There will be zero litigation.

The relationship between customer and supplier is not normal.

Cryptosporidium is widespread and common in rivers and lakes in the UK which is why our tap water is chlorinated. If this outbreak is in mains water it’s either failure of purification or contamination due to damaged pipes.

Most cases are involving contact with animals or swimming in rivers and lakes, it affects those that are immunosuppressed badly.

He wasn’t speaking about this specific incident though, as the source is as yet unknown.

Germanshepherdsmum

You are jumping to conclusions wwm. I prefer to wait until there is evidence of how the pollution occurred and how long it took to be detected.

It isn’t my conclusion, it was a conclusion reached by a scientist working in the industry.

What he said was that the drinking water in the U.K. has dropped in quality over the past few years, due he maintains to insufficient treatment.

What will happen now is that SW water will treat the water with large levels of chlorine, which apparently brings its own unpleasant problems.

I had a very unpleasant cryptosporidium infection many years ago. We were in holiday accommodation and there was an outbreak of severe vomiting and diarrhoea in the locality. The symptoms lasted over a week and I dropped 10lbs in a matter of days.

The source of the infection was eventually found to be a leaking agricultural tank which had seeped into the local water supply.

You are jumping to conclusions wwm. I prefer to wait until there is evidence of how the pollution occurred and how long it took to be detected.

In the normal supplier/customer relationship, if I am displeased at the service that I am receiving, or the way a particular company is conducting its business, I avoid that supplier, but this is not a normal relationship.

It is pure monopoly and we are all being exploited.

If the safety measures were adequate this infection in the water should not have happened. It sounds like corners cut for bigger profits.

fancythat

Can we say for 100% that it wouldnt have happened under public ownership?

Welsh Water is a not-for-profit organisation.

Their record is no better.

The River Severn, which runs between England and Wales, was the most polluted river and had seen 28,741 hours of sewage pumped into it on 2,656 occasions by Severn Trent Water. The rivers in Wales included in the list are the River Teifi, River Usk, River Wye, River Tawe, Menai Strait, and River Taf.

The total of six led Undertones singer and keen fisherman Feargal Sharkey, who is on a mission to protect the UK's rivers and streams, to tweet: "What on earth is going on in Wales, Welsh Water @Dwr Cymru with an utterly despicable record of 6 of the most polluted rivers. Get a grip."

A few months ago local people were told not to drink or use tap water and bottled water was being given to householders. That was over a Christmas period.

If anything should bring us out on to the streets protesting, it is this!