RESIDENTS of a tiny Yorkshire Dales village are furious that the spring water supply they have enjoyed for many years is being replaced by water piped in at a cost of £37,000 per household.

The work to install the 4.5km pipeline to connect Caldbergh, near Leyburn with the main grid system at Thornton Steward by Yorkshire Water is costing Yorkshire Water almost £500,000.

Yet there are just 13 houses in Caldbergh, and the residents are more than happy with the spring water supply from the local moors.

However, unlike neighbouring villages which have private water supplies, Caldbergh's is owned by Yorkshire Water and is therefore subject to legislation set down by the government in 1999 on water standards.

These include regulations on acceptable levels of the cryptosporidium bug, which can cause stomach upsets.

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water explained that the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), the government's water standards watchdog, had asked water companies nationwide to carry out risk assessments on spring water supplies.

The DWI then decided if the water was at risk from cryptosporidium, and whether the water company would have to provide an alternative supply.

This has been the case in Caldbergh, and while the work to install the pipelinewas expensive, it was considerably cheaper than the other options available to Yorkshire Water.

To maintain the current spring water supply and monitor it for cryptosporidium would cost the firm £80,000 a year, while the construction of an on-site treatment works would cost in the region of £1,250,000.

Caldbergh resident, Mr Roger Harrison-Topham, explained that the total water bill for the village would not exceed £3,500, presumably leaving residents in other areas to pay for the new £482,000 pipeline.

Villagers felt money was being wasted on an unneccessary scheme, which could be better spent on other services such as transport and housing