
North Yorkshire 'boil order' lifted after water bacteria alert
A "boil order" issued for parts of North Yorkshire after tap water was found to contain higher than usual levels of a type of bacteria has been lifted.Yorkshire Water put the order in place earlier this week after coliform, a family of bacteria containing E. coli, was found in tap water in Bentham, High Bentham, Low Bentham and Burton in Lonsdale.People living in the affected areas had been warned to boil their tap water "until further notice", but that order was lifted by Yorkshire Water on Wednesday afternoon.A spokesperson said: "We can confirm we are now able to lift the boil water instruction at all affected properties in the area as the water is now back to our usual high standards."
"Customers can now use their tap water as normal," they added.
The lifting of the order came after staff at a home care service in Bentham and the people they looked after spoke of their concerns over the boil order.Danielle Ward, care manager at Care Legacy, told the BBC that it had caused some difficulties, especially for people with dementia."It's a real problem as it's about getting them not to drink it, so we prepared signs that say, 'do not drink the water', but it's hard as they don't understand," she explained."The main issue is that when we tried to get water for patients, it was all taken, whether it was taken by vulnerable or non-vulnerable people, there was not a lot in the shops."Meanwhile, Christine, who has multiple sclerosis and is cared for by Ms Ward, said she had been "quite worried" about the situation."I wasn't able to get any bottled water. It was all sold out and despite being told I would get some as I'm vulnerable, none arrived," she explained.Earlier this week, residents in the affected areas shared their concerns over a lack of bottled water after shopkeepers in Bentham told the BBC they had sold out of them since the boil order had been issued.
Before the boil order was lifted, other businesses had also spoken of their concerns over the impact it could have if it went on for any length of time.Richard Rucastle, who runs Rucastle Holiday Lets in Ingleton with his wife, told the BBC earlier this week they had not been accepting mid-week bookings in a bid to try and "slow things down".Mr Rucastle said they had considered cancelling their next visitors, due to arrive on Friday, if there had not been further clarity on the issue from Yorkshire Water.Meanwhile, Bryan Jeffs, the owner of The Black Pig Cafe, said on Monday that he had stopped serving tap water altogether in favour of bottled water while the boil order remained in place.But speaking before the order was lifted, Gail Lister, from G & Mo's Cafe in Bentham, said she had taken a pragmatic approach to the issue."Ninety nine per cent of the time, you turn the tap on and the water's fine," she said."There are so many countries where you cannot drink the water - or countries that do not have clean water."Confirming the end of the boil order, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: "We'd like to apologise to everybody impacted."We thank them for their understanding and patience throughout."
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Prescription paracetamol urgently recalled over contamination fears
Britons have been urged to check their painkillers after batches of prescription paracetamol were recalled due to contamination fears. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a notice after a small number of pills were found to be 'discoloured'. The medicine affected is two batches of 500mg paracetamol tablets from Chelonia Healthcare Limited. This issue has been identified in batch 2312010, however as a precautionary measure, batch 2312011 is also being recalled to mitigate any risk while the investigation and analysis remain ongoing. The affected pills have the expiry date of November 2027 and were distributed earlier this year. The MHRA warned healthcare professionals to 'stop supplying the above batches immediately' and quarantine all remaining stock before returning it to their supplier. It told patients: 'Patients or carers should check to see if they have received tablets from the listed batches of paracetamol 500mg tablets. 'The batch number can be found on the label of the medicine bottle and on the outer carton. 'These tablets can only be obtained from a pharmacy with a prescription. The number of tablets you will have been given will vary depending on your prescription and you may have only received a small number of tablets. 'The tablets should be 'white capsule-shaped tablets, scored on one side', as per the patient information leaflet. If you find tablets that are discoloured in any way, in pots from the listed batches, please contact your pharmacist or the healthcare professional who dispensed your prescription.' Patients who may have taken the medication and experienced an "adverse reaction" are also urged to seek medical attention and report their symptoms via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Tackling racism a priority, says Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Trust
Tackling "pockets of racism" in an NHS mental health trust remained a "number one priority", its chair has Billingham, the chair of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) based in Norwich, pledged to make changes following findings from a recent staff survey found evidence that disciplinary processes for staff from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background were "more draconian".The study based on the experiences of 100 members of staff was commissioned by NSFT, and also included allegations of nepotism and inequality. Ms Billingham said: "There is undoubtedly pockets of racism within our trust."We've brought in experts from across the country to help us diagnose, where it's happening, why it's happening and we've got this movement now, across our staff, to say we've got to stop talking about being an anti-racist organisation, we have to act."Some of the racism came from patients and directed towards staff, and some staff expressed there was no clear process for dealing with racist Billingham confirmed making improvements was a top priority for the trust and that changes were not about "woke politics" but about getting the best from staff for patients."We've got to create that environment where staff are not subjected to racism, whether it's shouted or whispered, whether direct or indirect, we've got to eradicate it and stamp it out," she said. The workforce race equality report also found staff felt there were significant discrepancies in recruitment, career progression, the disciplinary process and equal included allegations of "widespread and problematic nepotism" and a fear of speaking up or making the report, NSFT's leadership was accused of not understanding race, and senior leaders were accused of not Ms Billingham also commented on a recent Care Quality Commission inspection which took place at the was removed from "special measures" status in February after more than seven years, following improvements to the findings of inspectors' visit a few days ago are yet to be made public but the chair of the NSFT said: "It's the start of our improvement journey."I'm hoping that we don't slip back, sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back."I am really optimistic that we will get better and are getting better." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
More testing needed for genetic cancer risk as too many women ‘missed', experts say
A new study has revealed that families of some cancer patients are being denied the opportunity to learn about their potential cancer risk due to inconsistencies in genetic testing. Academics have warned that the absence of adequate testing for Lynch syndrome is leaving some cancer patients unaware of their risk of developing other cancers. Lynch syndrome, a rare hereditary condition, elevates the risk of cancers of the bowel, womb, and ovaries. It arises from a gene mutation affecting DNA error correction during replication, potentially leading to uncontrolled cell growth. NHS guidelines stipulate that patients with bowel or womb cancer should undergo tumour assessments for Lynch syndrome markers. The identification of these markers should prompt a referral for genetic testing, confirming the diagnosis and enabling access to support and guidance regarding cancer risks for both the patients and their families. A new study by academics at the University of Edinburgh found not all womb cancer patients are being sent for genetic testing. Researchers examined data on 2,500 womb cancer patients across the UK and Ireland between 2022 and 2023. They found that 91 per cent of tumours were tested for markers of Lynch syndrome, but the test results were not routinely communicated to the wider clinical team. This means that follow-up genetic counselling and blood tests were not always arranged. Of the 181 participants eligible for genetic counselling, just under two-thirds (64 per cent) were referred for appointments, according to the study, which has been published in the journal BMJ Oncology. Researchers said those who were referred faced long waits, resulting in high dropout rates, meaning only 48 per cent of those eligible went on to get the test. Experts from the university said gaps in testing mean some womb cancer patients with Lynch syndrome go undetected. Family members are also left vulnerable to cancer risk, unaware they may have the condition. Dr Neil Ryan, from the University of Edinburgh, who leads the UK audit and research collaborative in obstetrics and gynaecology, said: 'Despite clear guidance and excellent rates of tumour testing, too many women with Lynch syndrome are still being missed because they're not referred for definitive blood testing in a timely way. 'This not only denies them the chance to reduce their future cancer risk but also prevents their relatives from being tested and protected. 'Tumour testing is only cost-effective if it leads to diagnosis — we urgently need to make mainstream testing truly mainstream.'