United Utilities is continuing to advise customers in Lancashire to boil their water until further notice – five days on since the company found traces of a parasite at its Franklaw water treatment works.

Customers in Blackpool, Chorley, Fylde, Preston, South Ribble and Wyre are being advised to continue to boil their water as a precaution, for all drinking, food preparation and brushing of teeth. People can continue to use tap water without boiling for general domestic purposes such as bathing, flushing toilets or washing clothes.

The advice was given after routine tests at the water treatment works in Preston detected small traces of cryptosporidium - a microscopic bug - in the water.

Traces of the bug are continuing to decrease – but the water company said the boiled water notice will not be lifted until it is "absolutely confident" that there are no traces left in the water network.

Gary Dixon, United Utilities customer services director said:

 “The picture is improving all the time, with the traces of cryptosporidium continuing to reduce.

“However, we would ask customers to bear with us, and continue to boil their water for drinking and food preparation, until we are absolutely confident that the water is back to its usual very high standards.

“We recognise how inconvenient this is for our customers, and would like thank households and businesses for their immense patience as we work to get things back to normal.”

United Utilities’ scientists are continuing to test water samples, and engineers are flushing water pipes to expedite the process.

The company is also continuing to provide advice to customers through its website, social media, radio, TV, newspapers and websites, and has been hand-delivering leaflets to customers across the affected area.