Pregnant woman '˜felt unwell' after drinking contaminated tap water before ban warning

Residents in parts of South Yorkshire have tonight been told NOT TO DRINK their tap water after high levels of bacteria contamination were found.

Here is what to do if you are affected

Rachel Marklew, aged, 28 from Thorne, is one of those affected by the tap water ban.

The school teacher is 21 weeks pregnant and has been drinking the tap water all day - and feeling unwell.

She said: “I have had several glasses of tap water today and a couple of cups of tea and I’ve been feeling unwell all day.

“As soon as I saw it on Facebook I Tweeted Yorkshire Water and when I said I’m pregnant, they rang me straight away.”

Rachel says residents have been fighting in the supermarkets in Doncaster to get hold of bottled water.

She added: “My mum went to Sainsbury’s in Thorne and she said it was carnage. There were people fighting over the water and it quickly sold out.”

Residents have been told they may face an entire weekend without water, Rachel added.

“It’s awful, we can’t even cook with it, and I can’t eat fruit or veg that hasn’t been washed because I’m pregnant, but I can’t wash it in tap water.”

She added that she’s worried that many elderly residents who don’t use Facebook or Twitter may be unaware of the no drinking notice, and said that her mum had been visiting older neighbours to give out water.

Rachel added that she isn’t sure if her feeling unwell is due to the water or normal pregnancy feelings, but has been advised by Yorkshire Water not to drink any tapwater, despite living on the very edge of the affected area.

Have you been affected? Email [email protected]