A quarter of a million people were today warned to boil their drinking water after a contamination scare.

Anglian Water said that cryptosporidium parasites were found in samples in Northamptonshire, affecting 108,000 properties and 250,000 people. Cryptosporidium is a microscopic single-celled protozoan parasite, which can cause severe stomach upsets, especially in young or elderly people.

This morning, bottles of water were being handed out to vulnerable customers, with a warning that water supplies may be suspect for weeks rather than days.

Fifteen of the 300 schools around the county have closed for lack of a clean drinking water supply, a figure that could rise. A spokeswoman for the county council said that that the list was being updated as schools reported in.

“We do about one thousand samples every day, just testing on water quality, and last night we had traces of cryptosporidium," said an Anglian Water spokesman.

“When the second test came back confirming it we immediately let everybody know. We have asked 108,000 properties, equivalent to 250,000 customers, to boil their water. If they boil it, it eliminates the bacteria.”

He added: “Until we know exactly why this had happened we can’t say when it’s going to end. It’s more likely to stretch into weeks rather than days.”

Northamptonshire County Council’s website said that the problem affected customers around Northampton, Daventry and west of Daventry, and residents of Daventry were today saying that supermarkets were running out of bottled water because of panic buying.

Mary Ellis, 57, said: "I went to Tesco this morning and every trolley had bottled water in it. The shelves were empty and there was an announcement saying that people could only buy a certain amount of water. It was chaos.

"I’m not going to start buying bottled water. I don’t drink that much water, although I do have a dog so I’ll have to boil water for him to drink. We don’t know how long it’s going to go on for - we’ve not been told anything."

Many residents were angry that they had not been informed directly about the problem by Anglian Water.

Sam Hudspeth, 21, who has a young baby, said: "We heard on the radio that we had to boil the water but we do not know why. We have not had anyone from the water board telephone or call round or anything. We don’t usually listen to the radio so it’s a good job we had it on this morning."

Tap water should only be used for drinking, preparing food or cleaning teeth once it has been boiled and allowed to cool, the council advised. It remained safe for washing, bathing and toilet flushing.

The council said that alternative water supplies were being investigated for the affected areas, but most people would have to go to fetch it. “Due to the size of the area affected, bottled water will only be delivered to special needs customers on Anglian Water’s Watercare register as soon as possible.

“The company apologises for the inconvenience this will cause, but stresses the health and safety of its customers must come first.”

A county council spokeswoman said they were working with Anglian Water to deal with the situation. Anyone who feared they had fallen ill from drinking tainted water was being advised to contact their GP or call NHS Direct.

Northamptonshire Police warned people to make sure they do not fall victim to bogus callers posing as Anglian Water staff during the water problems in the county.

“If you have any concerns about callers at your front door, do not open the door and call police immediately,” said a police spokesman.

The police spokeswoman said Anglian Water officials delivering water to residents would not need access to homes.

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