South West Water has been fined almost £2million for supplying water unfit for human consumption following a parasitic outbreak that left four people in hospital.
The company was prosecuted after the water supply in the Brixham area of Devon was contaminated by cryptosporidium, a parasite which causes sickness and diarrhoea.
Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard how hundreds people reported becoming unwell, including children, with some requiring hospital treatment.
During the outbreak, there were 143 confirmed cases, with 126 identified as the strain of cryptosporidiosis specific to the Brixham strain.
The tiny waterborne parasite emerged amid ‘an air valve contamination issue’ at Hillhead reservoir during the
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