Highland residents are calling on the boss of Scottish Water to resign, following years of complaints about their supply.
Locals in Strathspey say their water hasn’t been the same since their supplies from Loch Einich in the Cairngorms stopped and a £24million water treatment works opened in Aviemore in 2012.
Since then the water supplying 10,000 customers is extracted via boreholes and residents have complained about various skin conditions as well as its taste and smell.
Scottish Water’s controversial plans to chloraminate the water supply – where chlorine and small amounts of ammonia are added - have now gone ahead.
But farmer, John Kirk of Nethy Bridge, who is chairman of the Strathspey and Badenoch Water Group, said things have not improved.
“We were promised that the water would be better with the chloramination process, but nothing has changed.
“We are paying for this water and all we are getting is promises, that’s why I want Douglas Millican, who is the chief executive officer of Scottish Water, to resign.
“This is going to affect the tourist season as the area gets around 12,000 holidaymakers and they won’t come back once they’ve tasted the water. Even the animals won’t touch it.”
Pippa Hadley, from Kingussie, said: “Since the water source changed I have suffered localised skin complaints almost permanently, which persist and have returned even after successful treatment by the dermatology clinic at Raigmore Hospital.
“Since the recent chloramination, my skin has got itchier. I had hoped that things would improve, but it actually feels worse than before.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “Scottish Water is supplying water in Strathspey and Badenoch which continues to be fully compliant with required standards and is safe to use and drink.
“The introduction of the new water treatment process, chloramination, was completed around three weeks ago. This change and other improvements to our network in the last year were made in response to feedback from our customers. People who have been sensitive to the taste or smell of chlorine in the tap water should notice a reduction as a result.
“Chloramination is a tried and tested way of treating water which is used by over one million customers across Scotland.”
A NHS Highland spokesman said: “Regular routine sampling of water quality including microbiological and chemical quality is undertaken by Scottish Water and there have been no breaches of regulatory standards.”
“Skin sensitivity may be affected by contact with tap water and this also occurs in other areas. It does not mean the water is the underlying cause of this condition, as so many other allergies and environmental factors may be playing a part.”
