Residents of a town left without for weeks due to a deadly parasite have called for legal action after claiming more than 1,000 people have been ill and their lives have been "destroyed".
Several children and vulnerable patients continue to suffer serious health issues while hundreds are still refusing to drink their tap water .
And residents in Brixham, Devon, have now joined forces calling for a prosecution of , claiming they were lied to and "manipulated" into believing their supply was safe. In May, a total of 16,000 properties were told not to consume their tap water although South West Water said publicly there had only been 100 confirmed cases.
But a resident action group has now been formed - claiming the total figure was up to ten times higher. The victims claim they have suffered "tortuous psychological games" to physical hospitalisations, including babies, elderly patients and vulnerable people on drips.
They say some people are still in hospital and suffering from nasty respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses caused by the microscopic parasite, known to have "unpleasant" and "dangerous" effects. The widespread water boiling restrictions were lifted on 8 July after first being implemented on 15 May by South West Water.
READ MORE:
However, a boil notice remains in place for customers in the Higher Brixham, Southdown, Upton Manor and St Mary's supply area, who are advised to continue to boil their drinking water before consuming it. Several meetings have now been held among the residents - amid claims they have been "gaslit, cheated and deceived" over the past few months.
Among those to attend the latest meeting was MP Caroline Voaden who says there is currently an investigation, which will take several months, which has been launched by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
She said: "This will explore matters such as: whether the outbreak was avoidable, what South West Water did and how they handled it, what lessons can be learnt, whether there were any breaches of regulations, whether the correct information was given out and whether anything was covered up?"
But she added: "I wouldn't find it easy to trust South West Water." Last month, South West Water arranged a public meeting in Brixham with CEO Susan Davy - in which they did not permit any recording.
But Tanya Matthews, 42, a Brixham resident affected with the illness, described the meeting like "being in a prison". She said: "We didn't really get any answers and were being eyeballed throughout the whole evening (at least six security were there) and many found it intimidating. They kept hiding behind the fact they are being investigated.
"Some of us were crying listening to what some people had to say, but Susan Davy (SWW CEO)was just stone faced the whole time - it was like she was somewhere else.
"Then she told us about not accepting her bonus - but she has had a 300k pay increase in line with cost of living. Most of us wouldn't even earn an 8th of this in a year but she didn't see an issue with this at all.
"The community are still not happy. If anything, it has made us more determined. I think we have walked away with more questions than anything else."
Cryptosporidium causes a disease called cryptosporidiosis that, when consumed, gives people and animals symptoms of diarrhea, sickness, vomiting, dizziness and incontenance.
The UK Health Security Agency said during the outbreak there were 118 cases of cryptosporidiosis confirmed but acknowledged many more people reported having symptoms and it is carrying out a study to understand the true extent of the outbreak."
Residents have also slammed their local GPs and doctors across the town for not taking peoples' samples after over 100 people went to doctors to test for the parasite.
Jill Norfolk, 65, a local resident, said: "The GPs told us not to bring samples in and said 'do not come to us until its 48 hours after your last s***. Where are we supposed to go? The practices have been overwhelmed, and that's how I think it was discovered."
South West Water stated there has been no new infections of the outbreak since May 31, however, residents are questioning how the company know this because 'doctors stopped testing for cyrpto in May and 'people had already stopped drinking the water by this point'.
Residents have now held several meetings to raise awareness and 'band together' to demand action from the water company with around 60 in attendance.
One Brixham resident Sarah Treaser said: "All we want to be able to drink the water it is a basic human need and right. On every street I know, everyone has been affected by this.
"What do we all have in common? The drinking water - but South West Water have been trying to destroy the evidence. They have lied and lawyered up since the beginning - what are they hiding? We want answers, and we will get the truth out."
One family who say their lives have been 'ruined' since the outbreak are Lisa Horswill, 54, her husband, Kris Horswill, 45, and their young daughter, Justice, 7.
These Brixham residents have been in and out of hospital and severely ill for four-and-a-half months - so much so that social services have nearly taken their daughter away from them because they have been too ill to care for her.
Kris, who has a pre-existing kidney disease, has been admitted to hospital, and medical professionals have stated they believe cryptosporidium has affected his gall bladder, liver and intestines.
Lisa said: "It has ruined our lives. We want private medical treatment, respite care and to see South West Water in jail. If they can't provide that, then they better be sorting out how to sort our family out."
"So many people are being seen in A&E because of the ramifications of cryptosporidium - those with any kind of pre-existing health conditions and body issues - our bodies are now attacking themselves."
"We are lucky our daughter has not been taken to social services because we have been too ill to look after her. If we lose our little girl we are coming for them. My doctor has agreed I can be treated as an out patient, because my husband is still in there."
Not only have Lisa and Kris endured 'hellish' physical suffering, they claim they were offered a financial bribe by South West Water. Lisa, who says sometimes she has to spend up to nine hours on the toilet, said: "They offered me a bribe, which I declined, because when I phoned them and asked them if asbestos fibres have been going into our water supply (which would answer questions about the respiratory problems people have been experiencing) - the woman offered me £75 to accept this was 'misinformation'."
"I said no and how asked can you have witnessed how corrupt this has been, and accept something I know is categorically true but you are saying this is misinformation! The woman just responded 'I know'."
"We have been ignored and are all being fobbed - South West Water are fobbing off everyone. Either they can't offer you answers or they give you a scripted response. The system is so flawed".
The pair, who live near Ocean View Drive, said they were first struck with respiratory issues and an illness during the last couple of weeks in April.
After chatting to parents at their kids school (Eden Park School), they assumed it was a bug children had brought home - but 'then it became widespread' and reception at the school was shut down, followed by the entire school shortly after.
They are now seeking a legal solicitor. Multiple residents have also said they started experiencing symptoms 'weeks' before this official announcement back in May.
Tanya Matthews, who was also affected with the illness, claims she asked South West Water to test her water on 13 May - after she noticed it was 'leaving a horrible taste' in her mouth.
After two scientists came to her property, into her kitchen to take samples, Tanya requested them the following day but the SWW workers never arrived.
The mother-of-three said she started showing symptoms around the 6 May including stomach cramps, diarrhea as well as feeling nauseous with faint and dizzy spells.
After putting a post on a local fishing page asking who else had similar symptoms, Tanya recalls waking up the next day to over 1,200 comments on her post.
She added: "Many commented they had been to their GPs and were told they had food poisoning but kept being told to 'stay hydrated and drinks loads of water', and that is what was poisoning them."
"When I contacted them, they told me there had been 15 confirmed cases of cry. But they assured me it was nothing to do with the water. It has been awful every time I ate I had to run to the toilet."
"No one could answer my questions at SWW, so someone from the scientific team contacted me and asked if I had been in the sea or the river to which I said no."
"One of my cats had been sick and one hadn't - only one drinks indoor water and the other outside water and I started to put two and two together and the little cogs in my brain started working."
Tanya says she was told she would have the results from her kitchen water samples back after 24 hours on 13 May but has not received them to date.
On 11 July, she was called by the company and told no one had ever taken samples from her home. She said: "I let this woman in my house! But when I told them I had a neighbour with me the man says, 'Oh I'll look on your account again and I'll contact the scientist to see what had happened'."
"It's appalling - the amount of misinformation is madness. What South West Water has done is criminal. They clearly didn't have their results back. From the beginning they should have put a precautionary boil notice up whilst it was being investigated."
Sarah Treaser said eight people on her lane had been affected one who was hospitalised and nearly died from the parasite as well as a two-week-old foal who was left 'very poorly' after drinking the tap water.
Sarah was not only personally affected by the illness that persists to date but has had to care for three other family members, who were struck down with serious symptoms, including vomiting, , temperatures, diarrhea, stomach pains and even incontinence.
These were her 87-year-old father, 18-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter. She added: "There have been so many lies and so much chaos. It's a really nasty parasite which can get into your brain."
"It can do such awful things to you. It has been one of the most horrific month's health-wise ever. Four of us were sick, all really poorly I thought I had given us all food poisoning.
"When I got ill I first threw up and one day had come home and thought I was having a heart attack. I just felt poisoned, like my body was fighting for its life and genuinely questioned if I was dying."
After having over 100 different delivery men coming to properties along the road, Sarah says she has been left feeling 'very vulnerable' and the whole experience has been 'extremely nasty'.
She places blame on South West Water for 'downplaying' the parasite, and for their "lack of transparency". She said: "They should have been far more transparent - they owe it to the bill payers on the receiving end of the service they provide."
"We are not going be the only ones and we want something to happen. We want them to be properly held accountable for what they have done to us and our environment."
Jill Norfolk says she still has to take her 'discrete underwear' with her everywhere she goes, because of how she has been affected by the parasite.
She claims she started showing symptoms as far back as the 24 April but put her illness down to 'gall-stone rumbling, food sickness everything but the tap water'.
After being left 'too scared to leave the house', stating she knows people who have been hospitalised with heart failure, bleeding colons and residents who have been offered money by the water company 'to shut up', Jill wants answers for her community.
She said: "It has been lies after lies after lies. They have told the public there has been only 100 confirmed cases but it has been over 1,000. I am too scared to leave the house now and always have to wear incontinence pads it is degrading and embarrassing."
"I know an elderly woman living nearby who doesn't have access to normal TV channels, and when she got ill she presumed she had a kidney problem it has been truly horrifying and there are so many stories like this."
Jill, who has played a role in organising community meetings, added: "They have lost my trust in my tap water. Forget going for loads of money, I want them to win my trust back and they are doing everything opposite to doing that."
"They are still lying to us - they said they were going to send plumbers to my house, but two people working for a charity turned up who weren't even representing them. How can I trust them? Even the said nothing but keep drinking more water!"
Jill states that those still ill are unable to declare an end to their sickness and are unable to claim compensation. Helen Ireland, another Brixham resident who lives in a property with eight others, explains how every member of the household got ill after drinking the tap water.
Helen, who is still ill three months on, says she has a 'ravaged intestine' and cannot leave the house without fear of her bowels. She added: "Despite South West Water stating, 'the crypto levels safe for those with 'healthy' immune systems and tolerable for a healthy adult immune system' - my intestine is in bits. It affects me every day still, and has been truly horrific."
Sharon Thame, 70, another Brixham resident, is amongst hundreds calling for an investigation. She said the 'nightmare' has ruined her love for her home, as she said: "I don't want to live here anymore."
"It's spoilt Brixham for me, South West Water have spoilt it. I want them to be held accountable. We are a close community and there is suspicion now they are saying the water is clear."
"A friend of mine and others based from Hillhead to Kingsbridge, got a leaflet through the door from SWW, saying 'OK, you don't have to boil water' back in May then four days later they are saying 'boil your water, it is not fine' - how dangerous is that!"
"Somebody somewhere needs to help us out, we are all struggling and have been left horrified by it all. There are children on ventilators, old people with diseases who are being hospitalised. People retire down here, people with children, vulnerable people who are all getting or have been ill - it's terrifying."
Sharon said many residents of the town were angry that South West Water did not install preventative precautions when they were informed of the rising illnesses across the town and those who had left it around the time.
Sharon, who is among those still drinking bottled water, said: "What gets me mad, is all these people were becoming ill when nobody knew why but why couldn't South West Water have acted on the side of cation - just in case, but no, they insisted we keep drinking this poison."
"I want the CEO prosecuted she has done so much wrong and it is disgusting. It disgusts me the bonuses they earn and how they have cut corners every step of the way."
Caroline Voaden, Lib Dem MP said: "The situation in Brixham is not a one-off. Many other places in the UK are at risk of health outbreaks caused by water pollution."
Caroline was at the most recent community meeting in Brixham, wherein over 50 people rallied together to express their challenges and action-points.
After meeting with SWW CEO, Susan Davy, Caroline said she was informed there were "no more than 110 confirmed cases" of cryptosporidium.
However, after hearing what seemed like countless stories of families and individuals affected by the outbreak, she said in the meeting: "I don't know now, because 110 sounds very unlikely".
Susan Davy, CEO said: "We will continue to do all we can to support the Brixham community following the cryptosporidium incident earlier this year, and we were pleased to meet with some local residents last week to answer questions and address concerns alongside MP Caroline Voaden."
"The meeting was an important opportunity for us to listen to people who were impacted and share the steps we have taken since lifting the boil water notice."
"While the cryptosporidium outbreak was a rare event, we have and continue to take it extremely seriously. We have already implemented additional safety measures to ensure that the drinking water remains safe."
"We hope the event helped provide reassurance that South West Water is doing everything necessary to protect the health of our customers and prevent such incidents from occurring again."
"Our work does not stop here. We are determined to rebuild trust in Brixham and beyond, and we will not rest until we have restored confidence in the services we provide."
"Thank you to everyone who attended the event and shared their experiences and concerns. We are listening, and we will continue to take action."
A UKHSA spokesperson said: "During the outbreak, there were 118 cases of cryptosporidiosis confirmed after cryptosporidium was detected in the water and a boil water notice was put in place."
"We know that many more people reported having symptoms and our study will help us understand the true extent of the outbreak. In July, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contacted South West Water customers in higher Brixham and Kingswear to ask them to complete a survey to gather more information following 118 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis after Cryptosporidium was detected in the water and a boil water notice was put in place."
"Residents were asked to complete an online questionnaire about any gastrointestinal illness that they may have had. UKHSA's Field Epidemiology team are currently reviewing the responses and the findings will be considered as part of the DWI investigation."
Sarah Bird, Consultant in Health Protection for UKHSA South West said: "We are grateful to everyone that took the time to complete our survey. Information was gathered from those affected by illness as part of the outbreak investigation, but this study will enable us to gather more details from a wider group of residents."
"We contacted residents who live in or who visited the affected area, even if they did not develop symptoms, to help us understand more about how the outbreak affected the local community. These findings will help estimate the true scale and impact of the outbreak, and will be taken into consideration by the DWI investigation. Anyone who is concerned about new or existing gastrointestinal symptoms should seek advice from their GP."
With regards to why they did not test everyone with symptoms the UKHSA responded: "Individuals with prolonged or severe symptoms which might have indicated cryptosporidiosis were able to access testing through their GPs. Lots of people were tested this way, which was enough to confirm the source of the outbreak and to show that the boil water notice and remediation measures taken were effective. "Even now, GPs continue to test where clinically indicated and have a low threshold of suspicion for anyone in the area with GI (gastrointestinal) symptoms.
"There is also surveillance in place to monitor the number of calls to GPs/111 in the area, which is a way to pick up on if there is an ongoing issue, over and above the usual diarrhoea and vomiting (D+V) symptoms that are seen all year round. "The epidemiological study is also a way to identify those who reported symptoms around that time, but may not have been tested at their GP."
Information on cryptosporidium including sources and routes of transmission, symptoms, and general hygiene advice to minimise the spread -https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cryptosporidium-public-advice
