Graham Barnfield has accused the authorities of ‘digging their heels in’ and said the water in his property in Edinburgh, Scotland was so bad it left him feeling sick
A man says he felt sick and like he was “hungover” for hours after smelling in the “yellow” water from a bathroom tap in his high-rise home.
Graham Barnfield, a council tenant at Wauchope House in Edinburgh, Scotland, went to run a bath on Wednesday afternoon and got a nasty surprise. After turning the tap, he discovered the odd water colour which left a “grainy sediment” at the bottom of his tub. When Graham smelt the water, he says he was left feeling he was hungover and sick for several hours and after putting his hand in it, it left an oily and greasy residue which wouldn’t scrub off.
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The 42-year-old immediately called the council to report what he suspected could be hazardous chemicals in the water and stopped using all water sources in his flat as a result. EdinburghLive report that after chasing the repair team and calling the emergency helpline at the council, a water quality officer was sent round to inspect the water on Thursday and identified some light sediment coming from the hot bath tap.
Despite claiming the water was safe to use and was not in any way a danger to Graham, the council tenant insisted a chemical test be carried out before using any of the water in his flat. As a result, the council arranged a chemistry sample to be taken of the water which will not take place until Monday.
In the meantime, Graham is adamant he is not using the water within the flat, leaving him with no water to drink, clean himself or wash his clothes. Graham said: “They didn’t take it as an extreme emergency given my symptoms from smelling the water. I contacted the emergency switchboard number but was told nobody would be round on Wednesday.
“It only appears to be affecting the bathroom but when you’re dealing with potential chemicals, is all the water really clean? I can’t have a wash, I can’t use my washing machine and I’m afraid to drink the water.
“Oily residue remained on my hand for four hours despite cleaning. My symptoms could have been placebo or stress, I understand that, but I gave it a while and it does seem to pinpoint the involvement of chemicals.”
Despite a water quality officer visiting Graham’s flat and assuring him the initial colour and sediment at the bottom of the tub was nothing to worry about, he insisted a check for chemicals is carried out. However, a sample is unable to be taken until Monday and it is unknown how long the results will take to come back.
Mirror Online have approached Edinburgh Council for comment. But speaking on Thursday, Graham added: “Someone came and ran the water and tested the temperature.
“I showed him the sediment and he said it was iron sediment but I explained that doesn’t explain my symptoms yesterday. He said it seems perfectly safe and when I refused he said a chemical test wouldn’t be carried out until Monday.
“They are digging their heels in but in the meantime I don’t want to use the water. I have barely eaten since Wednesday and haven’t been able to wash. My family live several hundred miles away so I can’t use their water.”