Picturesque holiday hotspot now abandoned ghost town

Alex Ross reports from Brixham where locals complain of cancelled hotel bookings, empty streets and dirty tap water

- Alex Ross

"Beautiful, isn't it," calls over a tourist wearing a bright blue "I love Devon" T-shirt. And as I stand in Brixham harbour looking up at the rows of pretty ice cream-colour homes in the warm lunchtime sunshine, it's hard to disagree.

Since the 19th century, this quintessential harbour town has justifiably become a hotspot for holidaymakers on a stretch of coast in Torbay known affectionately as the English Riviera. But amidst the chatter inside the fish and chip shops, fudge-makers and pubs, it's not the upcoming bank holiday, or even the appointment of a new manager at Torquay United that's the topic of conversation.

Instead, everyone's talking about the quality of tap water, or the lack of it. "We should put up a sign to say we are using sea water instead of South West Water because it is cleaner," jokes the owner of the fabulously-decorated Rio's Fish & Chips.

Keith Johnson, who took over after moving from the West Midlands, says the outbreak of an illness caused by the parasite cryptosporidium has rocked the town. A faulty valve is suspected to have allowed the parasite to make its way into the water network with much of the town's population urged to stop using tap water until further notice.

As the UK Health Security Agency announced there had been 46 confirmed cases, with more than 100 people reporting similar symptoms on Friday afternoon, Mr Johnson says he's had no customers in the first hour-and-a-half of lunchtime opening.

"We've been blacklisted," he says. "No one is around, it's so obvious. We usually get coach drops coming in during the week, but we've had nothing and the hotels have reported cancellations. It's [cryptosporidium outbreak] scared people away."

Among those suspected of contracting the parasite is caretaker Bryon Freer, who lives just 800m from the Hillhead reservoir.