To prevent contamination of plastic pipework, immediately clean any chemical spillages, such as petrol or heating oil, on your property. For further advice contact your local authority Environmental Health Officer.
In the majority of modern houses, the pipework that connects the property to the water main in the highway will be made of plastic (typically alkathene or medium density polyethylene (MDPE)). Plastic is used due to its flexibility and resistance to leaks.
If you have plastic pipework, extreme care must be taken regarding spillages of fuels. Fuels, such as heating oil, petrol and diesel, contain hydrocarbons, which can permeate plastic pipework leading to unpleasant taste and odours. Once pipework becomes contaminated by hydrocarbons, the only solution is to completely replace it with either a metal or barrier pipe.
If you become aware of a spillage of fuel, for example if you notice an oily patch on the driveway or in the garage, or have a spillage of heating oil, we advise you to contact your local authority’s Environmental Health team as soon as possible. Local authorities will have contaminated land experts who can advise on how best to clean up any spillages to protect any plastic pipework.
If you become aware of an unusual taste or odour to your water supply following a spillage of fuel (customers often use descriptions such as turps, petrol, oily), contact Anglian Water immediately on 08457 145 145 for advice and to arrange for samples to be taken.
Advice for Developers
If you are planning to develop any land which may potentially contain hydrocarbons or other contaminants, download our factsheet below on development of contaminated land sites.