Thousands of people were warned to boil drinking water today after a cryptosporidium contamination scare.

Householders told to boil water after safety alert
Article in the Independent

Extract:

"Thousands of people were warned to boil drinking water today after a contamination scare.

Anglian Water issued the warning after cryptosporidium was found in samples in Northamptonshire. It is thought the affected area covers 108,000 properties and 250,000 people.

Cryptosporidium is naturally occurring but can cause severe stomach upsets, especially in young or elderly people.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: "We do about one thousand samples every day just testing on water quality and last night we had traces of cryptosporidium.

"It's a naturally occurring bacteria but if it gets into the human body it can cause quite severe stomach upsets."