Dear Sir or Madam,

Could you please tell me:-

1) Are water companies required to test for, or to remove,
bacteriophages from drinking water?

2) If not, what are the reasons for not doing so?

Yours faithfully,

Mike Jozefiak

Dear Michael,

Thank you for your request for information made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

Whilst I can supply information on the named bacteria, this specific
question is outside our area of responsibility and technically we do not
hold the information you request under section 1 (1) (a) of the Act. You
need to address your question to Department for Environment Food Rural
Affairs or the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

DEFRA deals with all aspects of water policy in England, including water
supply and resources, and the regulatory systems for the water
environment and the water industry. These include drinking water
quality; the quality of water in rivers, lakes and estuaries, coastal
and marine waters; sewage treatment; and reservoir safety.

DEFRA work closely with the Environment Agency (which manages water
resources and enforces water quality standards), the Drinking Water
Inspectorate (which regulates the quality of drinking water), and Ofwat
(which is responsible for economic regulation of the water industry).

Contact details:

Defra
Customer Contact Unit
Eastbury House
30 - 34 Albert Embankment
London, SE1 7TL

Email: [email address]

Drinking Water Inspectorate
Room M03, 55 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EY

Telephone : 020 7270 3370

E-mail: [email address]

Please contact me if you require further clarification.

Kind Regards,

George Stafford

Head of Public Information Access

Health Protection Agency - Communications Division

61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5EQ

Direct Dial: +44 (0)20 8327 6629

Fax: +44 (0)20 8327 6633

Email: [email address]

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Dear Mr. Stafford,

Thank you for your kind reply and suggestions as to where I might
find my answers.

For your information, bacteriophages are viruses that attack only
bacteria, not animal or plant life. I might also add that, as used
in 'phage therapy to combat human bacterial infections including
MRSA, they have absolutely no side effects on human, animal or
plant life and have been used successfully for the last 80 years in
Eastern Europe.

Regards,

Mike Jozefiak

Yours sincerely,