UNITED Utilities has refused to give an end date for the boil-water alert for 300,000 customers in Lancashire, as criticism of handling of the crisis grew.

A spokesman for the firm said: “We are continuing to make good progress with the first three of our ultraviolet rigs now up and running and we are continuing to install the rest as planned.”

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Despite a meeting of its experts and those from the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Public Health England yesterday, the spokesman said: “The boil-water notice for parts of Lancashire remains in place.”

She also responded to a 10,000-signature online petition from Preston resident John Gibson calling for a parliamentary inquiry into how the cryptosporidium bug got into the county’s water supply.

The spokesman said: “We are working around the clock to restore water supplies to normal. We cannot preempt the findings of the official investigation into the cause of the incident.”

South Ribble MP Seema Kennedy criticised United Utilities for delays in informing customers when their supply will be safe to drink and demanded clarity about the date for restoration of the water supply.

She said: “This situation has now been going on for many days and I keep asking United Utilities when is an end date in sight because people need to plan.”

The United Utilities spokesman said: “We understand our customers’ frustration and we have been providing regular updates, on our website and through the media, about our progress. We will be able to discuss the timescale for lifting the boil-water advice when we are satisfied this information will be accurate.”

Affected areas include Blackpool, Chorley, Fylde, Preston, South Ribble, Wyre and the Mellor Brook and Mellor areas.

United Utilities said last night that the current levels of the microscopic cryptosporidium parasite, which causes diarrhoea and abdominal cramps, are now very low.