A health warning remains in force in Bray, Co Wicklow, after testing of tap water yesterday failed to trace the source of E Coli contamination.
The town clerk, Mr Tom Murphy, said the test results had identified "only one small localised area in an industrial estate where the E Coli bacteria turned up". However, he said the warning would continue until the source of contamination was discovered.
A spokeswoman for the Eastern Health Board confirmed the E Coli strain was not 0157, which had caused fatalities in Scotland recently when meat was contaminated.
She said local hospitals and doctors' clinics were being monitored to detect the presence of E Coli-induced sickness, but so far none had been detected.
Up to 1,300 households in the Dublin Road area have been affected by the scare. They have been advised not to use tap water for drinking, hygiene, first aid or food preparation without first boiling it for at least 10 minutes.
Mrs Rose Sinnott, of Fassaroe Road, Bray, said it was a major inconvenience to locals. "It's costing us a fortune. I have to boil the kettle about 50 times a day. I'm also using up gas on the cooker and bought three two-litre bottles of water yesterday. The bill is rising all the time."
She said people were very concerned about the contamination, "especially as no one seems to know where it's coming from". They were also worried about a "grey residual scum" which appeared in the water after boiling.
Moving to reassure such householders, Mr Murphy said: "When you boil chlorinated water this happens, but the water that has been boiled for 10 minutes is all right."
He added: "None of the housing areas that were tested have shown up positive for E Coli today, yesterday or the day before, but we don't want anyone to be at risk until the source of contamination is further investigated."
Speculating on the cause of the contamination, he said it could be the result of "something as small as a dead rat in the water. That would be extremely hard to identify, but the chlorine would neutralise the bacteria. The only safe thing to do is to keep testing." Another possibility being considered is a ruptured water main.
The Democratic Left TD for Wicklow, Ms Liz McManus, said she was not satisfied that the relevant authorities had responded to the scare as quickly as they could have. She has called for a full report from Bray Urban District Council and the health board on the time of discovery of the contamination.
"While I am satisfied that the local authorities and the health board are working to the best of their ability to resolve the problem, I am concerned that there may have been delays in the transmission of this information." She said there appeared to have been a delay in informing the director of community care in Wicklow after the contamination was first discovered.
Ms McManus added: "People have had to put up with an extraordinary nuisance and bear a cost both in terms of buying water and boiling it. It has been a particular worry for parents with young children who don't understand that they should stay away from the taps."
Ms Nuala Ahern, a Green Party MEP for Leinster, said there was a need for the Government and Bray Urban District Council to review their water-monitoring procedures.
Urban council representatives told a steady stream of callers yesterday that water tanks which they might bring in to help to alleviate the problem would still have to carry water-boiling warnings.
The urban council has also continued to buy advertising time on East Coast Radio, warning people to boil water for at least 10 minutes, until further notice.