Hospital tap water 'safe again'

Patients are considered to be more vulnerable to infection

Mains water at Cheltenham General Hospital has finally been given the all-clear for drinking after last month's floods.

Supplies were switched back on weeks ago, but worries about infections to vulnerable patients meant bottled water was still being used.

Extensive tests and cleaning processes had to be carried out after dirty water penetrated the pipes and water tank.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital expects to return to normal on Monday.

Geoff Lloyd, from the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, said; "We do have vulnerable patients who might be more prone to infections than the normal population.

"We've been taking extra precautions to make sure all of our pipes are clean before we go back to drinking water from the mains supply."

Some 140,000 houses across the county loss their mains water supplies when the Mythe treatment works in Tewkesbury became flooded.