There was an outbreak of legionella at the former home of York’s Lord Mayor – and without action it could happen again.
That’s the message in a report about the Mansion House on St Helen’s Square.
It comes as an application for a £1 million upgrade of the Grade I listed building has been submitted to City of York Council.
Legionella is a collective term used to describe a range of bacteria that can develop in water systems.
Exposure to legionella bacteria can lead to Legionnaires’ Disease, a serious form of pneumonia, which can lead to hospitalisation and in extreme cases can prove fatal.
Problems with the hot water cylinders means the water is not being heated to a sufficiently high temperature, a report into the fabric of the building says.
Stored water temperatures between 45-50°C have been “regularly recorded”.
“Stored water temperatures this low is a significant legionella risk, and the low water temperatures within the hot water systems have resulted in a legionella outbreak within the hot water cylinders,” the report says.
“This is a serious cause for concern.”
Lord Mayor at home
The legionella outbreak was recorded in 2022, when the Lord Mayor still resided in the building.
Under money-saving measures approved by the council earlier this year, the Lord Mayor is no longer allowed to stay in the historic home.
The report says the low water temperatures “will have allowed any trace amounts of legionella bacteria within the water supply to multiply to dangerous levels”.
It says that “following the detection of legionella, the buildings domestic water systems were flushed and chlorinated” in line with Health and Safety Executive guidelines.
But the report adds that there is a risk of “another outbreak if the issues aren’t resolved”.
Pauline Stuchfield, director of housing and communities at City of York Council, said: “In 2022 during our routine testing regime a low threat type of legionella was detected in the water system at the Mansion House.
“Once it was detected the system was chlorinated to resolve the immediate issue. Nobody was affected or harmed in any way and we continue to carry out regular sampling of the water as part of our usual responsibilities.
“We believe the underlying cause of the issue is a fault with the BMS system, which is being rectified as part of this scheme of works.”
Among the other works proposed for York Mansion House, which finished in 1732, are
- essential restoration works on the roof, walls and windows
- improving accessibility through the external access lift, lighting, toilets and changing facilities and
- improving environmental performance by reducing emissions, improving insulation and improving the thermal properties of windows.
York Mansion House reopened after a £2.6m refurbishment in 2018.
You can read and comment on the planning application here.