John Lewis has been forced to supply months’ worth of bottled water to residents in a Hampshire village after fertiliser pollution made the local supply unsafe to drink.
For the past four months, the retailer has delivered bottled water to homes in Longstock, near Andover, after tests revealed high levels of nitrates in drinking water drawn from its Leckford Estate, a 2,800-acre farm owned by the John Lewis Partnership since 1929.
The estate, known as the “Waitrose Farm”, produces fruit and other goods for the supermarket. About half the homes in Longstock are supplied directly with water from the site.
Nitrates, widely used in fertilisers, can seep into groundwater when washed out of soil by rainfall. Elevated concentrations in drinking water reduce the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, posing particular risks to infants — who may develop “blue baby syndrome” — as well as pregnant women.
Local authorities have told villagers they can continue to drink tap water only if it is supplemented by bottled supplies. Expectant mothers and young children have been advised not to consume the tap water at all.
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