Six fall ill after water infected

The source of the outbreak was located at Pitsford Reservoir

Six cases of cryptosporidiosis have been confirmed after Northamptonshire water supplies became infected with the sickness bug last month.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said of 15 confirmed cases, six had the same "genetic fingerprint" as the cases involved in the water supply incident.

Anglian Water said the bug was found in treatment works at Pitsford.

At the height of the scare 250,000 water customers in Northampton and Daventry were told to boil tap water.

Dr Deborah Modha, for the HPA East Midlands, said: "Confirmation of cases at this stage is not unexpected because symptoms of infection usually take between three to 10 days to appear after exposure to the cryptosporidium bug."

'Acted quickly'

She said the symptoms of cryptosporidiosis included diarrhoea, stomach pains, dehydration and fever.

She urged people to visit their GP if they have symptoms of the infection.

Dr Modha said: "Although there is no specific treatment for cryptosporidiosis, most people with a healthy immune system should recover within a period of a week or so.

"We usually expect to see an increase in cryptosporidiosis cases during the Spring and Summer months due to increased contact with possible sources of infection such as recreational waters."

Jonson Cox, chief executive of Anglian Water, said: "We are deeply concerned to hear that these cases may be associated with the recent water quality issues in Northamptonshire.

"We will continue to work closely with the Health Protection Agency as their investigations continue.

"We would like to assure customers that we acted immediately and did everything we could to return the water to its usual high standard as quickly as possible."

The water was confirmed safe to drink on 4 July.

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