Boil water notice lifted for all affected communities after Welsh Water treatment issue

Nation.Cymru staff

Thousands of people across parts of south Wales can once again use their tap water as normal after Welsh Water lifted the precautionary boil water notice that had been in place since Friday.

The final communities affected, in Zone 3, including Trebanog, Tonyrefail, Penrhiwfer, Cymmer, Williamstown, Porth, Tonypandy and Glynfach, had restrictions removed after water quality checks confirmed supplies were safe.

Customers across all affected areas have now been told they can resume normal use of tap water, including for drinking, cooking and brushing their teeth.

The notice was introduced after Dŵr Cymru identified what it described as a problem with the chemical treatment process at its Maerdy Water Treatment Works during routine monitoring.

As a precaution, water from the site was temporarily prevented from entering the network while investigations and remedial work were carried out.

Although supplies continued uninterrupted, residents in affected communities were advised to boil water before drinking it, preparing food, brushing teeth or making ice.

Areas affected included Blaenllechau, Bryngolau, Cymmer, Dinas, Edmondstown, Ferndale, Hopkinstown, Llwyncelyn, Maerdy, Tylorstown, Penrhys, Pontygwaith, Porth, Pwll Gwaun, Pantygraigwen, Treforest, Trebanog, Rhiwgarn, Tonyrefail, Tyn Y Bryn, Trehafod, Wattstown, Williamstown and Ynyshir.

During the incident, Welsh Water established bottled water stations and arranged direct deliveries for vulnerable customers registered on its Priority Services Register.

However, some residents raised concerns about communication, saying they became aware of the issue through social media rather than official alerts.

One resident from Ynyshir told Nation.Cymru they had not received a text message or written notification and were concerned elderly people may not have realised there was an issue, particularly during the recent hot weather.

Others said they had already consumed tap water before learning of the warning.

Welsh Water Chief Operating Officer Steve Wilson said: “Protecting public health has been our priority at every stage.

“Before lifting the notice, we carried out extensive water quality sampling, testing and network flushing to ensure supplies consistently met the high standards our customers rightly expect.

“The notice has only been lifted following a series of clear test results confirming the water is safe to use as normal.”

He apologised for the disruption and said information on compensation arrangements was available to affected customers.