For immediate release

Scottish Residents Warned: “Don’t Drink Tap Water”

If you’re a resident or worker on the outskirts of Glasgow, you may want to invest in a water cooler for your home or office. High aluminium levels in the water have prompted Scottish Water to issue a warning to all residents to not use tap water for drinking or cooking.

An estimated 12,000 homes in the Strathblane and Blanefield, Mugdock, Milngavie, Bearsden, Faifley, Hardgate and Cochno were affected. Testing at Burncrooks Water Treatment Works found elevated aluminium levels and promptly informed Scottish Water.

Water dispensers generally are a better way to get the fresh, healthy water your body needs as it doesn’t contain harmful levels of chlorine found in tap water, which is a major cause of the bad bacteria that cause illnesses. With these new levels of aluminium, water around Glasgow has become virtually impossible to drink. The warning issued said that tap water should not be used for drinking, food preparation, making babies’ feeds, brushing teeth or for pets.

Will Reber, the Managing Director of Crystal Clear, the UK’s leading providers of desktop and bottled water coolers, said of the incident: “It’s a huge shame this has happened as so many people everyday rely on water from their taps for drinking, bathing, cooking and many other things.

“Water cooler systems are an ideal solution in a situation like this and a better long term investment generally. They produce uncontaminated water and have been rigorously tested to ensure the water stays sanitised and fresh.”

Bottled water is also available from St Andrews and Castlehill Primary Schools in Bearsden as wel as Clobber, St Josephs and Goldenhill primary schools in Milngavie.

For more information about water coolers, please visit www.pure-watercoolers.co.uk. For more information about the water in the affected areas, please call Scottish Water on 0845 601 88 55. Any health queries should be directed to the NHS helpline on 0800 22 44 88.