South
Water parasite in England sickens more than 45 people, residents told to boil tap water before drinking
A scenic fishing village in southwest England was under instructions to boil its tap water for a third day on Friday after a parasite sickened more than 45 people in the latest example of Britain’s troubled water system.
Around 16,000 homes and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon were told to boil water after cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea, was found in the water. At least 46 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been confirmed and more than 100 other people have reported similar symptoms, the U.K. Health Security Agency said. Cases can last more than two weeks.
South West Water’s Chief Executive Susan Davy apologized for the outbreak and said technicians were working around the clock to identify and fix the problem that may have come from a pipe in a cattle pasture.
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“I am truly sorry for the disruption and wider anxiety this has caused,” Davy said. “I know on this occasion we have fallen significantly short of what you expect of us.”
The crisis is unrelated to Britain’s larger ongoing water woes but emblematic of an aging system in distress.
Water companies have been under fire for more than a year to stop frequent sewage overflows into rivers and oceans that have literally caused a stink, sickened swimmers, polluted fishing streams and led to an outcry from the public to clean up their act.
People collect bottled water at Broadsands Car Park in Paignton, England, on May 17, 2024. Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first, following the discovery of small traces of a parasite in the local water network. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)
An environmental group this week reported that 70,000 sewage releases spilled for a total of 400,000 hours along England’s coast last year. More than a quarter were within two miles of a swimming spot, Friends of the Earth said in its analysis of government data.
Clean water advocates have blamed the problems on Britain’s privatization of the water system in 1989. They say that companies have put shareholders ahead of customers and not spent enough to update outdated plumbing systems.
Thames Water, the largest of the companies, is on the brink of insolvency and its leaders have said it faces the risk of being nationalized after shareholders refused to inject more cash.
Earlier this week, in another sign of problems, millions of gallons of raw sewage were pumped into England’s largest lake. After a fault caused pumps to fail, backup systems then pumped human waste into Lake Windermere, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for 10 hours, the BBC reported.
The cryptosporidiosis outbreak is hardly the first time South West Water has encountered problems, according to authorities.
The company is facing charges in Plymouth Magistrates’ Court alleging 30 offenses for illegal water discharges or breaches of environmental permits between 2015 and 2021, the Environment Agency said.
The recent outbreak appears to come from a damaged air valve in a pipe that runs through a field where cows graze that is close to a reservoir, said Laura Flowerdew, a spokesperson for South West.
A primary school was forced to close Thursday because it didn’t have clean drinking water.
The water company is providing free bottled water at three locations and has increased compensation to customers from $19 to $145.
Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said it’s likely more people will become ill with cryptosporidiosis in coming days or weeks because of a lag in the incubation period.
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“Even if they have stopped all new infections by now, you would expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks,” he told the BBC.
Anthony Mangnall, a Conservative member of Parliament from the area, said residents are likely to have to boil water for another week. He said he was concerned with the water company’s response to the outbreak and vowed to hold it accountable.
“They have been slow to act and communication with customers has been very poor,” Mangnall said. “This has certainly undermined trust in our water network.”
A Burtonsville resident was recognized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a master angler, one of the state’s highet honors bestowed upon fisherman, for catching 10 different species of fish at trophy size in the state.
Hien Tram is the 30th person to earn this milestone honor, under FishMaryland, a statewide program offering yearround opportunities for fishing enthusiasts to build community. The program began in 2019.
Tram has been fishing for 30 years and primarily fishes from shore, according to an April 28 announcement by the Natural Resources Department. He is a self-taught angler who credits his fishing knowledge “to watching and learning from other anglers, YouTube videos and magazine articles,” according to a statement.
“There is always something new to learn,” Tram stated. A 49-inch red drum was his favorite award catch, he said.
Tram began fishing locally with friends while he was in high school. He admitted to “even occasionally skipping school to fish with handlines.”
A list of fish he caught that qualified him for the state award, include:
- Carp – 30.5 inches
- Chesapeake Channa – (northern snakehead) – 32 inches
- Hickory shad – 18.5 inches
- Striped bass – 42 inches
- Blue crab – 8.25 inches
- Spotted seatrout – 26.5 inches
- Kingfish – 14.5 inches
- Red drum – 49 inches
- White perch – 13 inches
- Chain pickerel – 24 inches
Photo above courtesy of Hien Tram
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RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A groundhog has tested positive for rabies in Western North Carolina.
Rutherford County Animal Control Services posted on social media on May 1 that the North Carolina State Lab of Public Health sent Animal Control Services the notification on April 29.
According to the post, the groundhog was in the vicinity of Oak Springs Baptist Church to the Rutherford County Airport of the Gilkey Township area.
There was no reported human exposure with the groundhog, the post said.
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Animal Control Services said it was the first positive test for rabies in Rutherford County for 2026. The last positive rabies test confirmed by the N.C. State Lab of Public Health was July 3, 2025 That animal was also a groundhog from the city limits of Rutherfordton near the intersection of Alt U.S. 74 and U.S. 64 area.
The Rutherford County Health Director and Rutherford County Animal Control Services is advising residents to be sure that their animals are under their direct control. Animals that are allowed to wander or run loose are at a greater risk of coming into contact with rabid animals, the post said.
Residents’ pets with rabies vaccinations not up to date and that are exposed to a rabid animal will have to be euthanized or placed in a strict supervised quarantine at the owner’s expense for up to four months, Animal Control Services said in the post.
If residents’ pets have up-to-date vaccinations, the pets will need a booster vaccine if exposed to rabies.
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During the next six months anyone living in the Gilkey Township area should watch for animals with unusual behavior and be sure all pets have current rabies vaccinations. North Carolina State law requires that all cats and dogs have rabies vaccines at four months of age, a booster 12 months after the initial rabies vaccine and then a booster vaccine every three years.
All local veterinarians offer rabies vaccines. Rutherford County Animal Control Services also offers rabies vaccines., including low cost rabies vaccine clinics, which are available on the first Tuesday every month from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (no appointment needed) for $5 per vaccine.
Anyone seeing an animal displaying abnormal behaviors should call Animal Control Services at 828-980-0016.
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