Is Bournemouth tap water safe to drink?
South West and Bournemouth Water group (figures include Bournemouth Water): at least 19 tests failed UK drinking-water standards in 2025 (DWI, company-wide).
Some published DWI figures don't reconcile or identify a company, so we've left them out; the true number may be higher. England overall: 99.97% of tests met standards.
Bournemouth tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Not covered
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Details
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Hosepipe ban
In force in part of South West and Bournemouth Water's area
The sources disagree about whether this area is covered by a ban. The clearance or exclusion conflicts with a ban notice. Check both sources and ask your water company before using a hosepipe. Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Details
The sources disagree about whether this area is covered by a ban. The clearance or exclusion conflicts with a ban notice. Check both sources and ask your water company before using a hosepipe. Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Storm overflows
57 overflows within 10 km of Bournemouth centre
350 spills in 2025
Details
350 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
60% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Bournemouth we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 58–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Details
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Bournemouth we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 58–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Who supplies water in Bournemouth
Part of South West and Bournemouth Water
Supplies 6,751 of 9,441 postcodes (72%)
Bournemouth Water's phone number isn't in our records; their contact page lists it.
We can't confirm your sewerage company from official data for this area.
Supplies 2,642 of 9,441 postcodes (28%)
Wessex Water's phone number isn't in our records; their contact page lists it.
Sewerage: Usually Wessex Water — they provide water and sewerage across most of their area. Your water bill confirms yours.
Boundary or unplaced: 48 postcodes
Drinking-water test record
Bournemouth Water: 6,751 of 9,441 postcodes
Bournemouth Water
South West and Bournemouth Water group, includes Bournemouth Water
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 214,966
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| Clostridium Perfringens (sulphite-reducing clostridia) (confirmed) | Failed tests: 1 |
| Enterococci (confirmed) | Failed tests: 2 |
| Iron | Failed tests: 7 |
| Lead | Failed tests: 1 |
| Manganese | Failed tests: 3 |
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | Failed tests: 4 |
| Turbidity – indicator | Failed tests: 1 |
Source: DWI england 2025, Annex B — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
Source: DWI england 2025, Annex A — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
England: 99.97% of tests met standards in 2025 (DWI).
Source: DWI england 2025, national compliance — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
Wessex Water: 2,642 of 9,441 postcodes
Wessex Water
Wessex Water, company-wide
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 179,001
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| Copper | Failed tests: 1 |
| Iron | Failed tests: 1 |
| Lead | Failed tests: 1 |
| Manganese | Failed tests: 1 |
| Nickel | Failed tests: 3 |
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | Failed tests: 6 |
Source: DWI england 2025, Annex B — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
Source: DWI england 2025, Annex A — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
England: 99.97% of tests met standards in 2025 (DWI).
Source: DWI england 2025, national compliance — dated 6 July 2026, read 13 October 2026
How hard is the water in Bournemouth?
Bournemouth Water (6,751 of 9,441 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Wessex Water (2,642 of 9,441 postcodes)
We are not yet printing Wessex Water's hardness figures, because we have not been able to read the figures it publishes on its own website.
Storm overflows nearby
57 overflows within 10 km of Bournemouth centre · 350 spills in 2025
near Bournemouth centre
Bournemouth (9,441 of its postcodes) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Wessex Water.
14 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
Not Applicable
Into The Bourne · 1.6 km from the centre of Bournemouth
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
Not Applicable
Into The Bourne · 2.4 km from the centre of Bournemouth
1 spill · 0.4 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
Not Applicable
Into Trib of Poole Harbour · 3.2 km from the centre of Bournemouth
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
Not Applicable
Into POOLE BAY · 3.4 km from the centre of Bournemouth
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
KINSON SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS
Into RIVER STOUR · 3.4 km from the centre of Bournemouth
12 spills · 54.9 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
Annual 2025 figures from monitored overflows. Not live, and not a bathing-water or tap-water verdict.
- 57 England outfalls in the 2025 return had no usable location and aren't counted.
- Northern Ireland isn't covered: No licensed annual per-outfall source in the approved source list; BT postcode coordinates require an LPS licence.
Older homes and lead pipes
60% built before 1973
60% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test.
District housing counts allocated by the town’s share of member postcodes. Homes in the parts of Bournemouth we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 58–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
Bournemouth (9,441 of its postcodes) · 2026
Source: Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties — dated 31 March 2026, read 24 September 2026
Fluoride
We cannot confirm whether this area is part of a water fluoridation scheme. Ask your water supplier using your postcode.
Around one in ten people in England receive drinking water supplied by a fluoridation scheme.
England · 2026 health monitoring report
Source: UKHSA and DHSC — dated 30 March 2026, read 13 October 2026
Hosepipe bans
What you can do
General picks — we don't hold your hardness
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links go to amazon.com; Amazon's Earn Globally service can localise them to amazon.co.uk. Check the model and UK delivery before buying.
Water filter jugs
LifeStraw
LSH7GLSPK21
Performance certification:
Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 42 for Aesthetic Chlorine and Taste and Odor; Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 53 for Lead and Mercury; Certified by WQA to NSF/ANSI 401 for Microplastics (a US/international standard; it is not UK approval)
View Detailsreduces chlorine taste and odour in drinking water.
A UK retailer lists this model. Amazon UK stock and delivery are unverified; this Amazon link may not ship to the UK. Check the exact model and UK delivery before you pay.
UK availability evidence checked 14 October 2026.
Shower filters
Weddell Water
WD-100BL
Performance certification:
Certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI 177 for Free Available Chlorine Reduction (a US/international standard; it is not UK approval)
View Detailsreduces chlorine in shower water; does not soften water.
A UK retailer lists this model. Amazon UK stock and delivery are unverified; this Amazon link may not ship to the UK. Check the exact model and UK delivery before you pay.
Check it fits your shower fitting before buying; a US fitting may need an adaptor.
UK availability evidence checked 14 October 2026.
We haven't verified a lead test kit for UK buyers yet.
What a pick has to pass:
- A lead result reported by a laboratory accredited for that test (UKAS, ISO/IEC 17025), named on the kit's listing
- UK availability evidenced by Amazon UK, the manufacturer or a UK retailer, checked in the last 90 days
Start with your water company: if you think you have lead pipes, you can ask it to test the water at your kitchen tap. Which water test you need
Common water problems
How much does a water softener cost in the UK?
Water softener cost UK 2026: price by home size
Why is my tap water cloudy or white?
Why is my tap water cloudy or white? (UK)
Brown tap water: causes and what to do (UK)
Why does my tap water taste metallic?
Tap water tastes metallic? Causes and fixes (UK)
Questions about tap water in Bournemouth
- Is the water in Bournemouth hard or soft?
- Bournemouth Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Wessex Water: We are not yet printing Wessex Water's hardness figures, because we have not been able to read the figures it publishes on its own website.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for Bournemouth?
- South West and Bournemouth Water group (figures include Bournemouth Water): at least 19 tests failed UK drinking-water standards in 2025 (DWI, company-wide). Some published DWI figures don't reconcile or identify a company, so we've left them out; the true number may be higher. England overall: 99.97% of tests met standards.
- Could homes in Bournemouth have lead pipes?
- 60% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Bournemouth we can match to council-tax records (100% of its postcodes) whose build period is known; the share with no recorded build period isn't published for these areas. Allowing for suppressed counts: 58–60%. England and Wales: 61% (2026). Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
- Is the water in Bournemouth fluoridated?
- We cannot confirm whether this area is part of a water fluoridation scheme. Ask your water supplier using your postcode. Around one in ten people in England receive drinking water supplied by a fluoridation scheme.
Sources and method
- Water Company Boundaries (UC2) ↗ · 19 September 2026 · read 20 September 2026
- DWI england 2025, Annex B ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- DWI england 2025, national compliance ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties ↗ · 2026 · read 24 September 2026
- UKHSA and DHSC ↗ · 2026 health monitoring report · read 13 October 2026
- Environment Agency ↗ · 11 October 2026 · read 11 October 2026
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Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6