Edinburgh Royal Infirmary patients banned from drinking water in contamination mystery

Debris found in taps

Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary has been hit by a water contamination problem

PATIENTS in one section of Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary have been banned from drinking the hospital’s tap water after it was found to be contaminated.

NHS Lothian said debris had been found in a small number of taps and patients had been issued with bottled water.

Investigations are continuing to discover the source of the problem.

A source told the Evening News that the area affected was the intensive care unit, but NHS Lothian did not confirm that.

Another source claimed staff had also been told they should sanitise their hands after they had used the tap water.

It is understood the problem was first discovered last week and patients were given an information sheet on Wednesday.

A meeting was taking place this afternoon to discuss the situation.

A spokesman for NHS Lothian said: “Some debris was found in the cold water supply. It’s only affecting a small number of taps in one section of the Royal Infirmary. Filters have been fitted and we are supplying bottled water for drinking as a short-term measure.”