Black slime reported sliding out of water taps at homes and businesses in Alcester

A BLACK slimy goo has been sliding out of taps in people’s kitchens and bathrooms.

The gunge, described as looking like ‘black worms’, has been found hanging off taps, sliding around sinks and slithering inside toilet cisterns in the Alcester area.

The Herald has been told that despite repeated cleaning of taps with bleach, the gunge just keeps coming back and residents and business owners are demanding answers.

Severn Trent has said it has had no reports of the black slime and stressed it was not aware of any issues with the water supply. It believes biofilm could be to blame and has promised to investigate.

Alarm bells started ringing in Alcester when simple tasks like drinking a glass of water or boiling a kettle now involve a pre-emptive goo check.

Some residents voiced their concern on social media and asked if the goo invasion was affecting others. While the response showed it was not widespread across the town, the slime does appear at a number of homes and business – with some saying it had been going on for years.

Alcester residents, John and Sue Ross, said all the taps in their house are affected by the gunge and, despite their best efforts to drink clear water, they can end up finding slime lurking at the bottom of a glass.

They said they had contacted Severn Trent Water but had heard back. They also photographed a piece of black goo which measured 4cm.

“This has been going on for years and we are not sure whether this could affect our health,” John said. “They are like a black worm or a blob but sometimes they look like a strand of slime.

“It’s a regular occurrence and even though we do have a weekly cleaner and we use water filters, it will be back in the kitchen or bathroom after one or two days.”

The couple’s post about the goo triggered 27 replies on social media.

One respondent was Sally Clark, proprietor of The Nail Company in Alcester who told the Herald the slime at her premises not only affected the taps in the bathroom but also the customer and staff toilet.

“If I lift the cistern off the toilet there’s a thick, black goo which I can only describe as looking like snot,” Sally said. “It builds up on the taps as well and even though we’ve used blocks of bleach to clean the cistern, it just keeps coming back and when you flush the loo all the black residue gets deposited in the toilet. It’s been going on for years.

“Our regular customers know about the situation but for other customers I have to say ‘sorry’ and explain the problem.”

The Nail Company is not far from Henley Street where John and Sue live.

Other responses on social media included: “As I can remember, this has always happened since I have lived in Alcester.” And: “I’ve only been here 13 years but I’m sure it’s always been the same.”

A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “We’ve had no reports from anyone reporting black slime in the water and have also checked the wider area and confirmed there’s no issues with the water that we’re aware of.

“The appearance of a black slime is usually an indication that the issue is internal and not connected to the Severn Trent network as it’s linked to biofilm.

“Biofilm is when mould spores grow in damp environments and appear on things like taps and shower heads.

“That said, although this is a private issue within the home, our teams would be more than happy to speak to anyone experiencing this and investigate fully and support by giving advice on how best to prevent it.”