Lincoln Legionella site water restrictions to be lifted

Water restrictions at a site in Lincoln where the Legionella bacteria was found in high levels will be lifted after decontamination work.

The City Council found high levels of the bacteria Legionella in pipework at St Botolphs Court sheltered accommodation block for the elderly last week.

Decontamination experts were contracted to flush and disinfect the building’s pipework, which lasted for around four days.

During this time, the 51 elderly residents at the accommodation block were provided with bottled water and off-site washing facilities, as the bacteria spreads through water vapours.

Initial laboratory tests on water samples show that the work to disinfect the water system has been succesfull and the council has begun to lift restrictions on use of the water supply.

Residents will now be able to use the water system for washing, bathing and food preparation but restrictions on use of showers will continue for the next few days.

John Bibby, Director of Housing and Community Services at the City of Lincoln Council, said: “Residents of the sheltered accommodation were kept fully informed throughout the cleansing process and have been co-operative and supportive of the decisions we made.

“We supplied more than 2,500 bottles of water to be used for drinking, food preparation and general use, together with alternative arrangements for bathing and laundry.

“Initial test results are clear but the health and well-being of our residents is of the utmost importance and we will not put them at any risk and as a final precaution the shower areas will therefore remain out of use for a few more days until we receive the formal results from the laboratory.

“We appreciate this incident has been disruptive to residents and on behalf of the City Council I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank residents for their patience and support throughout the whole process. Their safety has and always will be our main priority.”