A group of Donnington householders are to club together and buy a £3,000 water purification system, because the well they rely on is contaminated and poses an E-coli bacterial risk.

The nine properties at the Donnington Farm estate, near Ledbury, form part of the Donnington Farm Management Company, and the householders as a collective are responsible for their own water supply.

The well is thought to have been contaminated because livestock once grazed around it, before the homes were built.

Tony Firth, a director of the Donnington Farm Management Company, said: "The water is full of organic material. The danger is E-coli."

A number of families are concerned because of young children living in the site. Following tests by the Environment Agency on the small private reservoir fed by the well, no one on the estate is drinking the water.

Mr Firth said: "We are having to use bottled water, or go to the Malverns. The water from the well is not a problem for bathing, so long as you spit it out."

The householders have contacted Welsh Water, with a view to getting a connection to the mains, which are around a mile away from the houses.

But Mr Firth said: "That would be incredibly expensive. Our best option is to stick with the well."

Now the householders are to buy an ultra-violet anti-bacteria plant. Ultra violet light will kill most bacteria, and chemicals will also be used to deal with the contamination. The total cost of the new facility will be around £3,000.

Mr Firth said: "We hope to have the plant in place in the next three months."