Businesses demand water company 'bear full cost' of Brixham poisoning

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Furious business owners last night warned water company bosses they must 'bear the full cost' of compensation for the Brixham poisoning scandal.

Seaside B&Bs and self-catering cottages in the south Devon town are facing a wave of cancellations from holidaymakers fearful of exposing their families to the water-borne parasite cryptosporidium.

One senior South West Water executive told The Mail On Sunday she accepts there will also be 'wider reputational damage' to the whole region.

She insisted it was too early to assess the impact, but pressure is mounting on the company to act quickly as the half-term holidays are only days away.

Alistair Handyside, chairman of the South West Tourism Alliance, said: 'I'm suggesting businesses contact South West Water for compensation.

'It is a private company, it is damaging other companies and it must bear the full cost of failure to properly maintain equipment.'

Laura Flowerdew, of South West Water, said the company was 'extremely sorry', adding: 'We are going to look at businesses which have seen an impact and deal with any compensation case by case.'

Devon's water crisis could last for 10 days after hundreds have fallen ill with vomiting and diarrhoea amid a parasite outbreak in contaminated taps.

A school has been forced to shut and people are panic buying water from supermarkets after hundreds of people were struck down by an illness called cryptosporidium.

South West Water (SWW) this week urged people to boil their tap water after hundreds fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains.

The water company said the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area are being investigated as a potential cause for the outbreak - an area which about 40,000 residents get their water supply from.

The mystery illness is believed to be linked to cryptosporidium, a parasitic bug that causes severe stomach issues.

Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution - including when drinking it or using it to cook with and brush teeth - as bottled water stations were set up yesterday to provide clean, safe water for residents to take home.