PROTESTERS against a sudden change in their water supply in west Cumbria are stepping up their fight.

Since United Utilities altered the supply in June by mixing water from Ennerdale with borehole water in Egremont, many people have been demanding a U-turn.

Thousands have since joined a campaign group on Facebook and signed a petition calling for the Environment Agency to allow the water company to extract all its water from Ennerdale.

Wayne McCarron, who started the group, said members held a two-hour meeting last week to decide their next move.

Talks are now taking place about organising a protest and group members are seeking people’s opinions.

The petition, which Copeland MP Trudy Harrison launched, has gathered nearly 6,000 signatures.

However, many people have hit out at the politician, as they are unhappy with the words she’s used on the petition.

Some claimed that Mrs Harrison had changed the words since they signed – an accusation which she disputes.

In it, she proposes that the entirety of the water supply should come from Ennerdale Water and if that is not possible, then limitations should be in place to prevent the mixture exceeding an 80:20 blend. Some people say they had not read the part about the lower amount of water.

But Mrs Harrison wrote on the petition page that it is “entirely unedited” from its original posting.

She added: “All comments on the petition will be presented, enabling myself and Mike Starkie, Copeland mayor, to argue a compelling case for 100 per cent fresh Ennerdale water until the completion of the Thirlmere pipeline in 2022.”

A spokesman for United Utilities said: “While the water is completely safe to drink, we do understand that our customers are unhappy about the change.

“We have expressed those concerns to the Environment Agency and we are in discussions to see whether a compromise may be reached for both the environment and our customers.”

Since the change in water, some members of the public have been complaining of a raft of health problems, including upset stomachs.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: "We have seen no increase in the number of people with symptoms relating to diarrhoea and vomiting in the area, and have not been notified of any increased attendance at GP surgeries associated with the change to the water supply.”