Water contamination fear hits Northampton

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of people in Northampton and Daventry were told to boil their drinking water on Wednesday because of a contamination scare.

Anglian Water said around 108,000 homes were affected after the discovery of the parasite Cryptosporidium in water supplies.

Northamptonshire County Council said it had closed 21 schools which did not have enough supplies of bottled water.

"Overnight we had some sample results come back showing Cryptosporidium in the water," Anglian Water spokesman Andrew Mackintosh told BBC television.

"We are asking customers to make sure that before they use water for drinking, use with cooking preparation, brushing your teeth, even giving water to your pets -- just make sure you boil that water first."

He said the water was perfectly safe for showers and baths.

Cryptosporidium can cause a severe stomach illness -- "it's extremely unpleasant", Mackintosh said.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, stomach pains, weight loss and fever which can last up to three weeks, according to the Health Protection Agency.

It can affect people with weak immune systems for much longer.