Tap water warning issued

Customers on the north coast are being told to boil water

More than 1,500 homes on the north Antrim coast are at the centre of a health scare after people were warned not to drink tap water.

The warning comes after samples from two reservoirs failed routine tests.

The cause is not yet known but Water Service officials say householders should boil water as a precautionary measure.

Democratic Unionist Party MP for the area the Reverend Ian Paisley, says the problem needs to be solved quickly.

"We don't want anyone to be running scared and people leaving, thinking that if the water is contaminated they shouldn't stay there, " he said.

It was something that we certainly would rather not have had in the middle of our tourist season David Cheal Guest house owner

However, Water Service officials insisted people in the Bushmills and Portballintrae areas were told to boil water purely as a precaution.

A spokesman said: "There were two failed samples taken from Eagry and Craig Park reservoirs.

"These things happen from time to time and we issue boil notices on a regular basis rather than take any chances.

"It is nothing serious, this has been done as a precaution and we are going to flush the system so hopefully everything will be all right by tomorrow."

Bed and breakfast owner David Cheal said he had been stocking up on bottled water for his guests.

"It was something that we certainly would rather not have had in the middle of our tourist season," he said.

"We were just coming into the busiest month of the year.

"If you have tourists coming into the area, you would prefer not to have to greet them with signs saying the water cannot be used and that everything has to be boiled."

The Water Service said clear test results were needed for two days in a row before the warning could be lifted.