Residents of the town of Vlaardingen, west of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands were told to boil their drinking water last week after Water Company Evides found evidence of E. coli bacteria in samples taken from various locations.

The approximately 70,000 residents that were affected were told to boil drinking water for three minutes to make it safe, but according to RTL Nieuws, the boil water notice started a run on bottled water.

Evides said in a statement that the contamination, which involves very low levels of the bacteria, was possibly caused by recent work done on the water network, but did not elucidate further. The company said that it expected the problem to only last three days.

Most strains of E.coli, which is found in the intestines of people and animals, are harmless, but some strains can cause diarrhoea, respiratory problems, urinary tract infections, and various other illnesses.

The supermarkets are selling bottled water at unprecedented rates, and supermarket manager Nico van der Elst said, “We are bringing in massive deliveries because our clients have the right to clean water.”

Restaurants and cafes are also affected by the water problems, and are working hard to make sure they can still serve their customers.

“We can’t use our normal coffee maker,” Daan, from café De Hofnar said. “So our customers can’t have cappuccinos. We’re improvising but there are worse problems in the world.”

There have been many problems with drinking water all over the world in recent months, with more and more water companies finding e-coli and other dangerous substances in the water, and this is not good.

The best way to make sure that your drinking water is pure and fit to drink at all times is to invest in your health by investing in a water cooler with a really good filter. Living-Water has a range of both bottled water coolers which dispense Living-Water Spring Water, and mains water coolers which can be fitted with one of the best water filters around, so contact them for a quote.