A total of 260 people became sick after drinking tainted tap water in Bayan County of Harbin City, capital of Heilongjiang Province.

The tainted water was due to contaminated pipes and authorities had finished disinfecting some of the pipes yesterday morning.

However, officials still were recommending that residents use bottled water for drinking and cooking, Xinhua News Agency reported.

A total of 260 residents in Bayan were reported to have diarrhea and vomiting after drinking the tainted water since Sunday night, said the report, citing an official with the Bayan Disease Control Center.

The patients, aged from one to 73 years old, were in stable condition and many had already been released from hospital.

Some victims said they found tiny particles in the water last week, but didn't think it was serious.

The water was polluted by dirt and rusty metal from old pipes, which were scratched during maintenance work weeks ago.

In 2005, carcinogenic chemicals were spilled into the Songhua River, causing tap water supplies to be shut for five days in Harbin.