Water event
Camelford water pollution incident
Twenty tonnes of aluminium sulphate were discharged into the wrong tank at Lowermoor treatment works, entering the supply serving Camelford in Cornwall at extreme concentration.
Key facts
- Event type
- Contamination incident
- Started
- 1988-07-06
Cause
A relief tanker driver, without a site induction, discharged aluminium sulphate into the treated water tank rather than the storage tank. The key fitted both.
Impact
- Around 20,000 people supplied with water at grossly elevated aluminium concentration
- Acute symptoms including mouth ulcers, rashes and gastrointestinal illness
- Long-running dispute over neurological effects
Response
The incident was not communicated promptly, and residents were initially told the water was safe. Multiple inquiries followed over two decades.
Aftermath
Drove substantial reform of UK drinking water incident notification and of chemical delivery procedures at treatment works. Remains the most serious drinking water contamination incident in modern British history.
Relationships
- Located in: England
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Sources
- Peer-reviewed scientific literature — Open-access hydrology, water chemistry and water use research. Public but restricted · Publisher terms — public access, reuse not clearly granted