In May 2024, a parasite was found in the water supply of Brixham, a coastal town in Devon with a population of some 17,000 people. Reported cases of this cryptosporidium infection – caused by a microscopic parasite which lives in the intestines of humans and animals – soon numbered in the hundreds among inhabitants of the town and its surrounding area.

On 17 May, as the number of cases quickly swelled, I was sent by PA Media to speak to locals in Brixham about the outbreak with a view to understanding how widespread the illness was, what impact it was having (or what expected to have) on tourism and commerce in the town, and what they thought of the response from South West Water (SWW), responsible for the area’s water.

I read up on the outbreak and parasite itself while taking a train to a station in Exeter, which was so delayed that I was unable to meet up with the assigned photographer. As a result of this I had to take photographs of those I interviewed myself, and ended up taking a few pictures of the town’s harbour. One of these, put onto PA Images, was used by such media outlets as BBC News and The Express – even crossing the pond with usage in reporting by The Associated Press and other American outlets.

It took some effort to identify good interview subjects, though most needed surprisingly little convincing to talk about the cryptosporidiosis outbreak, which has nasty symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting. I obtained exclusive quotes revealing the sense of disappointment over South West Water’s lack of contact with locals and fears about a visible drop in tourist numbers.

Residents also suspected that the number of confirmed cases – as tallied by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – was significantly lower than the real count. The UKHSA has since confirmed that, though only 143 cases were confirmed in association with the outbreak, “the true number is likely to be substantially higher” as many people with less severe symptoms were not tested.

I covered the parasite outbreak and its handling by SWW for about a week. This included speaking to a local woman who said nearly every house on her street had been affected by the disease, and an exclusive phone interview with the local MP, who branded the regional water supplier’s response “contemptible”. My reporting featured in local and national outlets.