Water company still searching for answers over contamination issues near Cambridge
More than 300 homes have been relying on bottled water since last week
Last updated 24th Jan 2024
Investigations are continuing into why more than 300 homes near Cambridge haven't been able to get full access to safe tap water.
Independent Water Networks (IWN) first issued a 'do not use' notice to people living on the Marleigh development last Thursday but this has since changed this to 'do not drink'.
This means people can use their water for the likes of bathing, showering and laundry but not for cleaning your teeth, giving to pets or cooking food.
IWN are still waiting for test results to come back on the cause of contamination concerns it raised last week.
John Trounson is the director at Independent Water Networks:
"Once we've identified that we're able to provide clean and safe water, we'll focus on what the source might be; we're not ruling anything out but we don't have any indications of where that contamination may have come from," he said.
"People can arrange alternative accommodation if they need to and that may attract additional transportation costs, laundry services, there may be food they'll need to buy in, and we've offered compensation to support them in all these areas."
Bottled water ready for collection
Hundreds of filled water bottles are being supplied by the Marleigh Community Centre, as well as being dropped off for people living nearby to collect by IWN's emergency contractor Water Direct.
Peta Mason Gray is volunteering at the community centre to help those in need; she's seen a range of people coming in for support.
"Mothers with children who didn't have a car or their partner was at work in the car, they were desperate to get water; they couldn't feed, wash, bathe, get their kids to bed, they can't cook; it's really difficult."
Peng Wong lives in Marleigh:
"Initially we found the water had a smell; it's fine after the filtering but after we cooked with that water, we felt a bit uncomfortable with some stomach pain."
'Safety is main concern' - IWN
Mr Trounson told Greatest Hits Radio that the company has appreciated the response after the concerns were raised.
"I'd like to say how grateful we are for people's understanding during this difficult time," he said.
"We've been working extremely hard and regret the inconvenience to people, but ensuring we can provide a safe and healthy supply of water is our top priority."
IWN said it expects to get the results from a chemical analysis of the water within 48 hours.