Residents' bacteria concerns over 'boil order'

People in parts of North Yorkshire have spoken of their fears after being told to boil their tap water "until further notice" as it contained higher than usual amounts of a type of bacteria.

Yorkshire Water issued its "boil order" to customers in High Bentham, Low Bentham and Burton in Lonsdale earlier this week when levels of coliform bacteria "higher than we would normally see" were found in tap water.

Richard Rucastle, in one of the areas where homes and businesses have been affected, said: "We had paddling pools with the kids in, were brushing teeth, had been drinking it all day.

"You try and do the best you can to protect them, and you don't know if you are potentially poisoning them."

Coliform is a family of bacteria which includes E. coli and which can cause significant illness in the frail, the elderly, the sick and the very young.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson previously said the firm was "really sorry" over the problem and was "working hard to resolve this issue".

Mr Rucastle and his wife run Rucastle Holiday Lets in Ingleton, and they live next door to his sister. The family has six children, all aged three or under.

Mr Rucastle said: "We don't know the seriousness of it. At first, I thought maybe they are just covering themselves.

"But if it really is harmful and we shouldn't be anywhere near it, then we will have to close.

"You pay for water and it's not the cheapest of things, so it does worry you."

Mr Rucastle explained that they had not been accepting mid-week bookings in a bid to try and "slow things down".

They would cancel their next visitors, due to arrive on Friday, if Yorkshire Water did not issue further clarifications on the safety of tap water in the area soon, he said.

"We are hoping in the next day or two we find something out and everything is good to go, and we don't have to do anything drastic. It's bad for business."

Mr Rucastle said that despite their postcode being a short distance away from the main area affected, he remained concerned as "it's all on the same pipeline".

With temperatures expected to remain at about the 20-22C (68-72F) mark in the next few days, Susan Brash, from Ingleton Parish Council said local residents were understandably concerned.

"It's bothering some people," she said.

"I think about people who have animals that need water. Is it going to affect them?"

On Monday, the manager of a shop in Bentham told the BBC the store had sold out of bottled water at the weekend after the boil order was put in place.

Meanwhile, Bryan Jeffs, the owner of The Black Pig Cafe, said he had stopped serving tap water altogether in favour of bottled water.

Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, whose constituency includes the affected areas, said on Tuesday he was "closely monitoring the situation".

"I am receiving regular updates from Yorkshire Water to ensure all necessary measures are being taken to address the issue," he said.

"If constituents do have concerns, I encourage them to contact me directly, and I will raise their concerns with Yorkshire Water."

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson previously said the company was "working hard" to determine the cause of the issue and to get things back to normal "as quickly as possible".

They said boiling water would offer "sufficient protection", though they appreciated that having to do so "can be inconvenient".

"We thank everyone affected for their patience," they added.

Last summer, it took two months before people in hundreds of homes in south Devon were told their water was safe to drink again after a boil notice was put in place due to a parasite outbreak.

According to Yorkshire water:

* About 200 postcodes in the LA2 and LA6 postcodes, including High Bentham, Low Bentham and Burton in Lonsdale, are affected by the boil order

* Those affected should boil all tap water for drinking, cleaning teeth and preparing foods which would be eaten uncooked, such as salads

* Tap water should be boiled for a few seconds and stored in clean, covered containers in a cool place for up to 24 hours

* Tap water could be used for washing, bathing, toilet flushing, washing dishes and clothes

* Pets were unlikely to be affected, but, if in doubt, water which had been boiled and cooled should be used

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