'Uncomfortable truths' for water firm at meeting

A Brixham resident who was unwell following the water parasite outbreak in Devon said the boss of a water company should be "held accountable".

Helen Ireland said she was one of the 100 confirmed cases of cryptosporidium in May. She said eight other people connected to her household were also unwell.

Ms Ireland and other residents attended a meeting at Brixham Town Hall earlier to ask South West Water (SWW) questions about the outbreak.

Caroline Voaden, the Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, said SWW boss Susan Davy had been told some "uncomfortable truths" at the meeting.

Ms Ireland said: "I just think Susan Davy should not be in her role, she should be held accountable.

"I don't believe she has been accountable. She hasn't done any interviews, she hasn't spoken to anyone, so I am quite interested to see what she has to say."

Speaking after the meeting, Ms Ireland said it had "raised more questions" rather than answering them.

"What I do hope is SWW understands the strength of feeling within the area and they will listen to us and will be more open and honest in the future,” she said.

Clive Alexander, 79, said there was a sense of “anger and distrust” at the meeting, adding he felt the water boss should “resign”.

He said: “Susan Davy’s main job tonight was to apologise unreservedly to these people. What she didn’t do was understand the actual feeling of the anger and the distrust of SWW."

Brixham resident Michael Roseveare described it as a useful opportunity for the local people to air their “frustration and concerns”.

Mr Roseveare added: “They are clearly not satisfied with the way SWW has responded.”

South Devon MP Caroline Voaden said she believed there was still a "huge level of distrust" between Brixham's community and SWW.

“SWW told them the water was safe to drink and it clearly wasn’t," she said.

"I felt it was really important Susan Davy, as chief executive came to Brixham so she could hear for herself people’s concerns and the questions they haven’t had answered."

Following the meeting, Ms Voaden said the water company had been told some “uncomfortable truths”.

“They looked very uncomfortable at certain points of the evening. I do think people thought they were heard," she said.

“I know there were some people in the room who had questions they really wanted to put to Susan Davy and they did that.”

Managing director of water services at SWW David Harris said the company knew the "rare events in Brixham earlier this year had a significant impact on local people and businesses".

"And for that we are truly sorry," he said.

"While the situation has thankfully been resolved, we know some people may still have questions.

"We have organised this event to give customers the chance to hear from us in person and we look forward to answering as many questions as we can at the community meeting.”

The cryptosporidium outbreak left residents in the area having to boil or use bottled water after the parasite which causes sickness and diarrhoea was first detected.

The advice remained in place for 54 days for some properties before it was finally lifted on 8 July.

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