Tap water in the United Kingdom is amongst the safest and highest quality in the world, and the water supplied by Anglian Water is no exception.
Every step of the process, from our raw river water and groundwater sources through to the water coming out of customers’ taps, is regularly sampled and analysed and we continuously monitor all of our water treatment works and other key sites.
For further information on the quality of drinking water supplied to your area, please use our postcode search facility.
Below are some top tips for keeping tap water healthy. These will help ensure; that the quality of drinking water does not deteriorate once it has left our water mains and entered a customers’ premises, and remains at the highest quality for our customers to enjoy.
Top tips for keeping tap water healthy
- Regularly clean taps used for drinking water. Further information on cleaning taps
- Before you drink - run your tap for a few minutes to flush through any water which has stood in pipework for a period of time. This will help to reduce levels of any common pipework metals, such as copper or lead and any tastes and smells.
- Whenever you alter or replace pipework in the home, ensure that you only use approved plumbing materials and an approved plumber. Always follow the manufacturers installation instructions. Ensure header and other storage tanks have adequate covers, vents and ventilation. Further information on domestic plumbing
- Ensure there is a non-return valve connected to hoses from dishwashers and washing machines to minimise any TCP, metallic or chemical tastes and smells. Further information on tastes and smells
- Ensure rooms are well ventilated to prevent the build up of mould around taps and in showers. Further information on black mould
- Immediately clean up any fuel spillages, such as petrol or heating oil, on your property to prevent contamination of plastic pipework. Further information on fuel spillages
- Ensure hot water pipes are lagged to minimise heating of cold water pipes, as this can lead to water developing a cloudy appearance due to the presence of air bubbles. Further information on cloudy water
- If you have a water softener, it is recommended that you always keep a separate mains-fed tap for drinking and cooking, and follow the manufacturers instructions for installation and operation carefully. Further information on water hardness and water softeners
- If you use any other form of home filtration or other device for treating tap water, follow the manufacturers installation and operation advice carefully. Further information on home water treatment
Looking after water in your home
If you have found these details useful, you may like to also look at the Water UK publication ‘Looking after Water in Your Home’.