Islanders advised to boil their tap water

NHS SHETLAND and Scottish Water are advising customers on Fair Isle to boil their tap water before consuming as a precaution following a drop in the quality of the supply.

The island’s supply is normally produced using water from boreholes but has been augmented in recent days to cope with a large increase in the population, mainly due to the Tall Ships visit. Water from a burn on the island has been helping meet demand.

However, routine sampling suggests higher than normal levels of a microscopic organism called cryptosporidium, prompting the advice to customers to boil their water before consuming.

The organism is often found in rural water supplies and at low levels is not a concern.

It is thought recent weather has washed materials from the land into the burn, affecting the quality.

A Scottish water spokesman said: “Additional temporary filtration is in place and monitoring of the supply is ongoing. Once the quality returns to normal customers will be advised.”

Dr Sarah Taylor, director of public health at NHS Shetland, added: “Our top priority is the protection of public health so as a precaution we’re advising people to boil their water.

“We appreciate the inconvenience this will cause and would like to thank people for their patience while the issue is resolved.”

Customers who feel they need medical advice should contact NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24.