Major 'do not drink' update issued to British homes after faecal bacteria was found in UK tap water

Daily Mail​

15-05-2025

Residents of North Yorkshire can now use their tap water as normal after a boil notice issued was withdrawn.
Yorkshire Water issued the notice for residents in High Bentham, Low Bentham and Lonsdale areas yesterday.
The ban came after routine testing detected the presence of high levels of coliform bacteria.
These bacteria are commonly found in digestive systems of animals and people and include organisms like E. coli and indicate water supply may have been contaminated with faecal matter.
Residents were told to boil their water before drinking it, using it to brush their teeth or using it in food preparation.
A Yorkshire Water 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.'
The water ban has caused stress and anxiety among Yorkshire residents, with people 'panic buying' bottled water, according to a Bentham hotel worker.
Speaking before the notice was lifted Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, said: 'I would be very surprised if Yorkshire Water issued a warning like that without detecting high levels of E. coli.'
'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.
Whilst most coliform bacteria won't make healthy people severely ill, consumers should be wary of E. Coli and Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC)—a potentially life-threatening strain of the disease.
Professor Hunter said: 'The main concern is diarrhoeal disease or norovirus, which could cause severe or nasty infections. While catching STEC could be fatal in vulnerable people.'
STEC can also 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 has also advised people who feel unwell in the coming days to inform their doctor about the boil notice.
While the notice has now been lifted, experts have told MailOnline 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, said Britain's ageing water infrastructure meant the risk of such incidents is on the rise.
'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.
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.
Other experts said the UK's recent warm weather could also be a factor increasing the risk of such incidents.
With the country's mini heatwave seeing 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.