The South West Water crisis in South Devon has led to a school being forced to shut and people panic buying bottled water, as hundreds are struck down with an illness called cryptosporidium in the Brixham area.

South West Water is urging people to boil their tap water, with cryptosporidium causing a number of unpleasant symptoms, including diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pains.

Investigations are taking place at the Hillhead Reservoir between Brixham and Dartmouth, with around 40,000 residents using this source for their water supply.

Eden Park Primary School has closed today amid frustration that South West Water had not supplied them with bottled water. There have also been concerning reports that people have been suffering from stomach complaints for weeks, possibly even months.

Conservative MP for Totnes Anthony Mangnall said: “It is enormously frustrating that South West Water weren’t quicker to respond at the first point at when this was reported.

“It started with an initial denial that it was anything to do with their network and of course they have now found the cryptosporidium is in their network and they are responding.

“Residents were quick to actually point out there was something wrong with the water, they could taste it, and now they are suffering.

“What I want to see is for them to address the problem, fix it as quickly as possible and make sure the support for residents is there both now and into the future so they can have confidence in their drinking water.”