Around 70,000 Welsh households on water quality alert

In North Wales, around 70,000 homes and businesses have been urged to boil their tap water before consumption amid fears of water quality breaches.

Welsh Water has revealed that bacteria has been detected in the tap water supplies of Denbighshire and Flintshire and has recommended that any water being used for food preparation or drinking be boiled first.

"It's a species of bacteria called coliform and they're generally present in the environment around us, but they shouldn't be found in water supplies," the BBC quotes Tim Masters of the organisation as saying.

He added that the advice will remain in place until the source of the water contamination is identified and residents have also been urged to boil the supplies they use to brush their teeth.

A similar incident occurred in Northern Ireland earlier this month, as a water treatment facility Dunmore Point experienced troubles with water quality and urged 220,000 homes to boil their supplies before using them, the BBC related.