- Author, George Thorpe
- Role, BBC News, South West
Fraudulent callers have been targeting victims of a parasite outbreak in Devon, a water firm confirmed.
South West Water (SWW) said it had been made aware of bogus calls being made to customers in Brixham about cryptosporidium from people claiming to be from the company.
SWW said the calls related to the £215 compensation available to customers affected by the outbreak – but the fraudsters asked for customers’ direct debit details.
SWW said customers “do not need to do anything” to claim the compensation, which would be automatically paid to them. It urged customers to report any suspicious calls to Action Fraud – the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime.
Boil water notices
SWW said 17,000 properties were issued with boil water notices after traces of cryptosporidium were found in its network around Brixham on Wednesday.
Bosses at SWW confirmed on Saturday that compensation for affected customers had increased from £115 to £215.
However, it said it had been made aware of fraudulent calls being made to some customers.
A SWW spokesperson said: “All household customers who have been issued with the boil water notice will receive their compensation by way of an automatic payment.
“Where we hold direct debit details this will be made as an immediate payment, where we do not this will be added as a credit to the next available bill.”
‘Incompetent response’
SWW has been criticised for their handling of the outbeak after it initially said on Tuesday tap water was safe to drink before reversing its advice the following day.
Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall – whose Totnes constituency includes Brixham – described the firm’s response as “contemptible and just generally incompetent”.
SWW has apologised for the impact the outbreak has had.
On Saturday, David Harris, drought and resilience director at SWW, said the water tank at Hillhead reservoir, where tests confirmed the presence of cryptosporidium earlier this week, had been drained.
He added the tank would be thoroughly cleaned before being refilled.
SWW said a damaged valve on private land in the Hillhead supply area was identified as the “possible cause of contamination” and it had been isolated from the network.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
