Lancashire residents urged to boil drinking water

Hundreds of thousands across areas including Blackpool, Chorley and Preston affected by warning after utility finds cryptosporidium at treatment works

Hundreds of thousands of people in Lancashire are being warned to boil their tap water before use to kill a microscopic bug. Tests at a water treatment plant have found traces of cryptosporidium, a parasite which can cause gastroenteritis and is commonly associated with diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea.

The warning was issued on Thursday afternoon to United Utilities customers across large parts of Lancashire including Blackpool, Chorley, Fylde, Preston, South Ribble and Wyre.