Clear water supply restored at Paisley hospital
Clinical services have resumed at the Royal Alexandra Hospital after problems with the water supply were resolved, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has said.
Dozens of operations had to be postponed and emergency patients diverted away from the Paisley hospital due to discoloured water.
The problem was caused by a build-up of sediment in the hospital's water tanks.
The tanks have now been cleaned and should go back into use on Monday, if the supply is deemed safe.
Staff will continue to use bottled water and tankers provided by Scottish Water until then.
Scottish Water said the discolouration in the water was caused by naturally-occurring manganese, which over time had caused a build-up of sediment in the tanks, resulting in very discoloured water running from taps.
The group said this was an "occasional, seasonal issue" in parts of Renfrewshire in recent years.
Linda de Caestecker, the health board's director of public health, said: "We wish to thank our staff and patients for their patience and understanding over the last few days. Patient and public safety has been central to all our activities during this water quality issue.
"Once we are satisfied that the mains supply meets the requirements of ourselves and Scottish Water, we will reconnect and lift the current tap water drinking restrictions."
Peter Farrer, Scottish Water's chief operating officer, added: "We have carried out extensive flushing of the hospital's internal water network, cleaned the internal tanks and carried out extensive sampling and analysis.
"As the hospital returns to normal working, we will continue to monitor the situation going forward, working alongside the health board."