Catering businesses in Northampton and Daventry face a further three weeks without water after a bug that can cause diarrhoea was found in the water system.
The outbreak of the bug cryptosporidium has affected 108,000 properties in the region, including nine Charles Wells pubs.
It has forced businesses to boil their water and buy in supplies of ice and bottled water to keep trading.
Affected water can only be used for cleaning dishes if it is heated to 70ºC, leaving glass washers unused as water is only heated to 65ºC.
Charles Wells has been forced to deliver barrels of water to nine of its pubs in Northampton and Daventry from its brewery in Bedford, solely for the purpose of cleaning beer lines.
The company has also increased its supplies of bottled mineral water to pubs via extra deliveries.
Rosie Youngman, deputy manager at Charles Wells pub the Olde Coach House in Ashby St Ledgers, said: “The last thing we heard was that it was going to be another three weeks. You can’t make ice and the kitchen staff has to boil everything but you just get on with it. The customers all know what is going on.”
One landlord in the area, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the supply problems had become very expensive because of the need to buy all drinks and cleaning water in.
“It takes a lot of effort and costs a lot of money and nobody has said anything about any compensation,” she added.
Local supplier Anglian Water has told customers to continue boiling water until they receive the all clear.
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By Christopher Walton
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