Shapinsay water restrictions lifted

Scottish Water and NHS Orkney have lifted the ‘Don’t Drink, Don’t Cook, notice for Shapinsay, has now been lifted.

The notice was issued yesterday, Saturday, after Scottish Water reported that a sample, gathered from the island’s reservoir, had tested positive for E.coli.

A spokesman for Scottish Water said the company carried out further testing of the water supply yesterday, the results of which have now been confirmed as clear.

As a precaution, Scottish Water’s local team has temporarily bypassed its service reservoir on Shapinsay, so that the island is currently being supplied with water directly from a source varified as safe on the Mainland. Investigations into the cause of the original failure are still ongoing.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Following the results of further sampling, we can confirm that the restriction is now lifted and customers in Shapinsay can use their water as normal.  Investigations into the cause of the original failure are still ongoing and we have temporarily bypassed the Service Reservoir on Shapinsay as an extra precaution until this work is complete.

“We would like to thank customers on the island for their patience and understanding while this notice was in place.”

Dr Derek Cox, Consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS Orkney, said: “Scottish Water has responded to this potential incident in a very professional way and as quickly as was possible, given the restrictions of geography.

“I’d like to thank them and their staff for their co-operation and hard work in ensuring that this issue has been remedied as quickly as Sunday evening. Just occasionally if these issues are not dealt with speedily they can become more serious.”