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Devon water parasite outbreak area gets £1m boost

BBC A man stands in front of a cafe building on the coast in Devon. It is sunny, with people sitting at tables. The man wears a black top and is smiling. BBC
Cafe owner Alex Foley said the funding is a "really significant amount of money" and will help pay for "destination marketing"

A £1.2m fund to help boost tourism and repair "reputational damage" after a cryptosporidium outbreak in south Devon has been described as "desperately important".

South West Water (SWW) has pledged the money as part of a Destination Marketing Recovery Fund following the water parasite outbreak in May that saw about 100 confirmed cases of the diarrhoea-type illness in and around Brixham.

Business leaders said the incident caused 3,500 pieces of negative coverage across the world, as well as tens of millions of pounds worth of lost bookings.

Much of the money was due to be spent on television advertising, they added.

A man stands by a harbour, with colourful shop fronts and houses in the background. You see boats and trawlers in the water.
“It will make a massive difference over the next few years,” said Chris Hart of the English Riviera BID Company

"The headlines were appalling," said Chris Hart, chairman of the English Riviera BID Company.

He said: "We were able to demonstrate to SWW that there were around 3,500 pieces of negative coverage about Brixham and the wider Devon area, not just here but across the world.

“Our research showed that around £34m of bookings were lost at the time of the outbreak, with an estimate £6m in future bookings also lost."

Much of the money would be spent on a national TV advertising campaign, with one advert already in production, he said.

He added: "The aim now is to use the funding to repair the reputational damage that has been caused, and to present Brixham and the English Riviera in a really positive light, showing off the great area this is."

Ben Birchall/PA Wire A man in a high-viz coat loads packs of bottled water into the boot of a white car. Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Around 16,000 households and businesses in and around Brixham were originally told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first, following the discovery of traces of the parasite cryptosporidium in the network.

Business in the area said they were confident the latest funding would help address the situation.

"It’s going to open up channels of marketing we currently can’t afford, such as television advertising," said Alex Foley, who runs the Guardhouse Café at Berry Head.

“It will allow us to reach many more potential customers and show how great the area is."

A woman sits in the dining room of a guesthouse. It has colourful wallpaper and bookcase in the background that is lit.
Guesthouse owner Linda Lowe said encouraging visitors to return to Brixham was key.

"This is desperately important," said Linda Lowe, who owns Brookside Guesthouse in Brixham.

She said: "The only way we can get our reputation back in the public eye is to get the marketing out quickly... a massive advertising campaign showing just how beautiful it is here."

Of the £1.2m pledged by SWW, about £250,000 is also due to be spent on a legacy project in Brixham, which is being delivered by the local Chamber of Commerce.

South West Water said: “It’s important to us that we do what we can to support local businesses and the community in Brixham."

It added: "The fund will help promote tourism in Brixham and the surrounding area in partnership with the English Riviera BID."

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