Customers asked to boil tap water during heatwave after pipe burst to be compensated

Residents who were asked to boil their tap water during the recent heatwave will be offered compensation, a water company has said.

A burst pipe at Welsh Water's works Maerdy allowed improperly treated water into the Rhondda Cynon Taf water system, where traces of the parasitic infection cryptosporidium led to a five-day "precautionary" order, which ended on Tuesday.

"It's the worst possible time for this to happen," said father-of-two Jack Pattison, in Tonyrefail, one of those affected residents who struggled in the 30C heat.

Welsh Water apologised, saying customers affected for two days or more would be paid £20 per day in compensation, receiving any funds within 10 days.

"We are sorry for all that disruption we have caused," said Welsh Water's chief operating officer Steve Wilson.

"We are sorting out compensation for customers," he added.

According to Welsh Water's compensation scheme, customers who were under a boil water notice for at least two days will be entitled to £20 for each day they had to go without access to their tap water.

The risk of cryptosporidium meant residents in some parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf have been obliged to boil their tap water before drinking, cooking or brushing teeth since last Friday.

Welsh Water said low-levels of cryptosporidium, a parasite which can cause stomach illnesses, were found during initial testing of the untreated water.

Hundreds of bottles of water were handed out at bottle stations set up by the water company, to help people get through the spate of hot weather over the weekend.

Waiting in their car for bottled water on Tuesday, Alan Jones and wife, Christina, from Tonyrefail, who both have health problems, said they had struggled with having to boil their water over such a long, hot period.

"We've boiled water so far because it was too busy here yesterday," said Alan.

"The queue was about half-a-mile long."

Diane, from Tonyrefail, said: "With the hot weather, it's really bad because you can't run the tap and have a glass of water."

Fellow resident, Jack Pattison, agreed: "It's the worst possible time for this to happen.

"It's 30 degrees and people are struggling for water.

"I've got two young children, so that always makes it harder."

Wilson said a phased approach was being adopted as the boil water notice was lifted on Tuesday.

"Water moves gradually through this network, largely by gravity, meaning some communities receive refreshed treated water sooner than others," said Wilson.

"Before lifting the notice in any zone, we are carrying out extensive sampling, testing and network flushing.

"Protecting public health has been our priority throughout this incident," he said.

All restrictions were lifted, across all affected areas, by 19:30 BST on Tuesday.

Wilson said the water bottle stations would remain open "for as long as they are needed".

"We recognise the significant disruption and inconvenience this incident has caused, particularly during the current period of hot weather mand we are sorry for the impact on customers and communities."

• Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can cause an unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, illness called Cryptosporidiosis
• It lives in the intestines of infected humans and animals and is passed out in their poo
• It can then spread to water sources like lakes, rivers, and swimming pools, as well as food such as raw milk
• The illness can affect anyone, but is most common in children aged one to five
• Symptoms, which can last for around two weeks, include severe watery diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, fever and loss of appetite
• There is no specific treatment but most people feel better within a month

Source: UK Health Security Agency