To think this isn't panic buying?

[AtomicBlondeRose]

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/devon-cryptosporidium-outbreak-school-closed-hundreds-ill-latest-updates/

This is an awful situation in Devon, but why on earth is people buying bottled water in a situation where the water is undrinkable "panic buying" - it seems like perfectly sensible buying to me? Every single person needs the equivalent of multiple bottles of water every day, and I would say those who have the ability to buy it are actually being fairly considerate in leaving stocks of the bottled water being provided by the water companies for those who need it.

Not all stocking up is panic buying! It is sometimes a very rational response to the situation you're in.

Oh that sounds awful poor thing

It was a horrible .I saw the news this morning and thought oh no those poor people, Dh caught it in the UK too

Public Health England is now UKHSA, which is mentioned.

I wouldn't drink the tap water even when boiled until I was certain it was safe. I'd buy bottled and drive a good distance to get it if not available locally.

@crumbpet

Yes. Then lied and minimised.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelford_water_pollution_incident

But you still need a fair amount of large containers to put the boiled water into - to store in the fridge (nobody is going to want to drink lukewarm water), a bottle to put upstairs to brush teeth etc.

Plus boiling multiple kettles of water then storing them somewhere (because you cant put boiling water directly into plastic bottles) while the water cools down then decanting them into smaller bottles is time consuming by the time you're doing 2-3 litres per day per person.

So buying a few (2-3 big bottles per person) seems sensible. Agree buying multiple crates per family is unnecessary but if its a choice between spending an hour or two a day faffing round with boiling water for the whole family or 50p on a large bottle can see why people do the second.

Surely it's more of a supply issue - it's limited to a specific area of the UK so it would make sense for supermarkets to divert water bottles from elsewhere to there where possible.

Plus the supermarkets were perfectly able to impose limited purchases per person during covid so surely they can do the same there if panic buying is an issue?

Ooh interesting idea about conspiracy theories.

That wouldn't be my first thought.

Good old fashioned incompetence would be my concern.

Nice straw man though.

Disbelieving that the source is a parasite means you think our public health agencies are lying.

It would be great to see supermarkets divert supplies to these areas and start selling it at cost price and rationing bottles to 2/3 per member of your family

We had this issue a few years ago and couldn't drink the water for weeks
I didn't boil it as I'm immunocompromised so all the water I used was bottled
Was a nightmare TBH and none supplied by the water company to either home or work

Was a month

www.blogpreston.co.uk/2017/10/cause-of-the-united-utilities-cryptosporidium-outbreak-is-revealed/amp/

I hope that there is something put in place for the elderly/disabled/terminally ill residents.

The bottles of water are heavy and if you don’t drive and aren’t physically strong, then you’d struggle.

These are also the people who need this clean water, more than other residents who can just boil it and take more risk.

Oh that poor driver!

Or the people already ill? They should probably have clean supplies delivered

I have family in Brixham.
Free water (6 x 1 litre bottles) was being given out from a car park on the outskirts.
My elderly parents had a phonecall from someone in local authority offering to deliver free water to them.

How are supermarkets going to know how many people live in your house? Per capita rationing requires a centralised system (even on a local level) with records.

I've just read our only supermarket in small town has run out of bottled water. I'm in south Devon
We're not even in the same area as Brixham.
South west water, people are scared I guess.

Don't live anywhere near Devon but just added 2 x 5lt bottles to my Ocado...

I have sometimes been accused of 'panic buying' toilet roll. Thing is, I have bought direct from Who Gives a Crap for years, pre pandemic, and will continue to do so because I like what they do. Sounds like the journo thought panic buying sounded catchier than buying and bunged it in.

I'd be cautious to with family member like this - and at minute exam season in us with my teens in that age range as well.

I know boiling is supposed to be enough but I'd be over cautious and just buy bottled if I had any worries - and frankly with larger house hold I'd probably be using bottle water and boiled just so there is enough.

Yeah same. Buying in bulk isn't panic buying. It's buying in bulk

They'll just have to trust people. It's very unlikely EVERYONE will claim to have 10 people living in their house

Awful.

As for those saying just boil the water.. then you'd just be eating dead parasites?

I hate to break it to you, but you’re eating dead parasites every day.

Whaaat

What do you think happens to the parasites in safe drinking water?