Bacteria plaguing North Yorkshire’s water supply could infect taps all over the country at any time, experts have warned.
Warning alerts were issued to residents in the High Bentham, Low Bentham, and Burton in Lonsdale areas due to high levels of coliform bacteria found in the water supply, indicating possible fecal contamination.
The affected customers were told by Yorkshire Water to boil their tap water before drinking it, using it to brush their teeth or for washing salad.
Yorkshire water issued the notice after routine testing detected the presence of high levels of coliform bacteria during routine testing.
Coliform bacteria, including organisms like E. coli, are commonly present in the digestive systems of animals and humans. The presence of these bacteria suggests that the water may have been contaminated with fecal matter.
But experts have warned the issues that likely led to the contamination of the water supplies in the region are present in every part of the nation.
Dr. Simon Clarke, an infectious disease expert from the University of Reading, highlighted that the aging water infrastructure in Britain is contributing to an increased risk of such incidents occurring.
‘The water and sewage infrastructure in this country is leading to regular sewage discharges into rivers, therefore there is a greater environmental spread of these bacteria,’ he said.
The vile bacteria plaguing North Yorkshire could be infecting the water supply all over the country, experts have warned. Stock image
He added that coliform bacteria can also wash out from cattle and sheep fields into reservoirs that are used for drinking water supplies.
But he said that in a developed country, like the UK, systems should be in place to stop this from happening.
Dr Clarke said while such incidents could happen in any part of the country, there was currently no need for people not in the affected areas to boil their tap water.
‘It’s not something I’ll be doing tonight,’ he said.
However, he added that as a nation we need to do more to prevent such contamination happening in the first place.
Other experts said the UK’s recent warm weather could also be a factor increasing the risk of such incidents.
As the UK’s mini heatwave has seen temperatures up to 29C (84 F), ‘the unseasonably dry weather’, could be the cause of the high levels of bacteria, says Dr Jonathan Paul, from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London.
‘Potentially, this could lead water companies to divert supply or use supplies, reservoirs or groundwater sources they don’t normally use,’ he said.
He added: ‘There could also be potential engineering problems at the water plants where reservoir water is made safe to drink – for instance, they forgot to add a weak bleach solution, or one of the filters broke or was damaged.
‘It depends on what was wrong – if there was an issue with a specific supply reservoir, they could just switch back. Likewise, too-low disinfection could be remedied instantly.
Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, also told Mail Online a boil notice would likely only be issued if certain bacteria had been found and in alarming quantities.
‘I would be very surprised if Yorkshire Water issued a warning like that without detecting high levels of E. coli.’
If ingested, most coliform bacteria won’t make healthy people severely ill.
However, Professor Hunter said their presence in water supplies is considered a warning that other, more dangerous pathogens may also be present.
‘If you get lots of coliform then that means something in the water isn’t right and indicates there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
He added what consumers should be most wary of is E. Coli and specifically Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC)—a strain of the disease.
‘The main concern is diarrhoeal disease or norovirus, which could cause severe or nasty infections. While catching STEC could be fatal in vulnerable people,’ he said.
STEC can cause haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) —a life-threatening condition that can lead to kidney failure.
A small proportion of adults may develop a similar condition called thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura a rare, life-threatening blood clotting disorder.
Yorkshire Water said: ‘We regularly check our drinking water to make sure it meets our high standards and during routine tests we’ve found the water supply in High Bentham, Low Bentham and Burton in Lonsdale didn’t meet our usual standards.
‘While we investigate this, we’re asking all customers to boil their water as a precautionary measure to keep everyone safe.’
The company also advised people who feel unwell in the coming days to inform their doctor about the boil notice.
It added that boiling water should be sufficient to eliminate any of potentially harmful organisms present and that purchasing bottled water is not necessary.
However, supplies of bottled water are being handed out in certain locations if residents are unable to boil supplies at home for any reason.
Anyone affected by the boil water notice will have been hand delivered a form, the company added.
