Villagers put on water bug alert after torrential rain

Published on Wednesday 9 September 2009 20:55

RESIDENTS in one of the largest villages on Royal Deeside were yesterday urged to boil their tap water because of the threat of contamination by a stomach bug, linked to the recent torrential rain.

The alert to householders and businesses in Aboyne was issued by Scottish Water after traces of cryptosporidium were found in water samples taken in the village. Cryptosporidium is a parasite commonly found in animal intestines. It can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and a slight fever.

A spokesman for Scottish Water said: "Notices are being delivered to households, with bottled water being made available for vulnerable customers.

Bottled water will also be made available to schools."

Dr Corri Black, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Grampian, said: "This is a precautionary measure. Public health must always be our priority."

Ian Burnett, Scottish Water's operations manager for the North-east, said: "The heavy rain has washed naturally-occurring materials into the water we use for the supply, and the treat-ment works has struggled to filter this out."