The sunny seaside town which fell victim to infected drinking water and misinformation

ITV News

14-05-2025

Watch Sam Blackledge's report on the one year anniversary of Brixham's infected water crisis
The town of Brixham in South Devon is peaceful, picturesque and welcoming. But for six sun-drenched weeks in the summer of 2024, there was only one subject on everybody's minds - water.
When the news broke on 13 May about a potential public health scare, it wasn't initially clear what exactly the town was dealing with.
There were reports of people falling ill with mysterious symptoms; members of the public were advised to boil their tap water before drinking it. An information vacuum was flooded with rumours, speculation and thousands of social media posts.
Deepening crisis
The more time went on, the more the crisis deepened. Maps of the region were painstakingly analysed; roads were closed and car parks requisitioned; bottled water became a precious commodity.
Some people even reported becoming ill with kidney stones due to avoiding water altogether.
My main memory of that period is of endlessly knocking on doors in the Hillhead area of the town - close to the reservoir at the centre of the contamination - and chatting to residents about the most intimate details of their family's health.
Vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pains and stool samples are not usually subjects we are terribly comfortable discussing. But it felt essential for people to share their stories and piece together what on earth was going on.
Calls for resignation
Of the dozens of people we interviewed last summer, a handful stick in my mind.
In mid-June I visited Karen Taylor who was caring for her terminally ill 93-year-old mother, Audrey.
Karen told me several of her neighbours had been hospitalised and she feared for her mum's health if she were to become ill.
"She wouldn't stand a chance," Karen said.
I was also struck by a pair of tenacious next-door neighbours in Hillhead, Tanya Matthews and Michaela Lewis.
Tanya became the unofficial spokesman for her community, painstakingly educating herself on the intricate details of Cryptosporidiosis, poring over charts and graphs on the South West Water website.
Michaela, too, used her anger and frustration to push for improvements. Both women had young families who were showing symptoms of the illness, and they told me they would not rest until the company had issued a proper apology and full compensation.
Michaela was one of the first to publicly call for the chief executive, Susan Davey, to resign over her handling of the crisis.
'We still get people asking if the water is alright'
Today, exactly one year on from the outbreak, the town is looking as glorious as ever. But the effects of last summer are still being felt.
Herve Regent runs the Beacon House bed and breakfast. Speaking to me on his penthouse balcony, high up above the town's famous harbour, he makes it clear he is not a fan of reporters.
"It's been difficult," he said. "The main problem is trying to put Brixham back on the map.
"There were some irresponsible journalists. We had 3,000 negative comments on social media, in the newspaper, on TV and radio, but not just in the UK, internationally as well.
"For example, I had someone from Germany call me last year to cancel a room. They said 'We're cancelling because we heard we cannot take a shower in your B&B.'
"That's quite upsetting, especially knowing that the actual contaminated water was coming from Hillhead Reservoir, while we are supplied by the Aston reservoir, which is not contaminated at all."
Joe Lowe, who runs the Brookside Guest House, says the town is gradually getting back to normal.
"It's not back to where it was before, but we are seeing a recovery.
"We're still getting guests coming this year who say 'Is the water alright?' We've probably got the best water in the South West at the moment because of everything they've done."
'I still don't trust the tap water'
Despite assurances from South West Water that everything is fine, residents are still divided on whether or not they trust the water coming out of their taps.
Maureen Blake told us: "I still buy bottled water. I just won't take the risk."
Diane Plowman said: "I don't trust the tap water at all, I will never use it. I use it in the kettle, to boil, but I will never drink it."
But Sue Swanston said: "I find it fine. My husband and I both drink tap water, we haven't got any worries about it. We've got faith in what they've done and what they've put in place."
Cohort study
There were, in total, 126 confirmed cases of Cryptosporidiosis in Brixham last year.
But the UK Health Security Agency is carrying out a cohort study to determine the true number of cases, which could be considerably higher.
The results will be published once the Drinking Water Inspectorate has completed its own investigation.
A South West Water spokesman told ITV News West Country: "We are sorry for what happened in Brixham last year – while we can't undo what happened, we have made already made improvements to make sure it cannot happen here again.
"Our focus is firmly on the future for customers and communities and we are working to support local tourism in the area.