United Utilities prosecuted over water contamination

United Utilities will be prosecuted over water contamination that left hundreds of thousands of people unable to drink tap water for more than three weeks.

The cryptosporidium bug was found at Franklaw water treatment works outside Preston on 6 August 2015.

The prosecution is being brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), which said the outbreak affected about 700,000 people in the area.

It faces three charges alleging it supplied water unfit for human consumption, it failed to properly disinfect supplies, and it failed to design and continuously operate an adequate treatment process.

A spokesperson for United Utilities said:

The Chief Inspector of Drinking Water said: