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Regulator record

Is Bristol tap water safe to drink?

Bristol Water: at least 16 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.

Bristol tap water quality report · 2026

  • Hardness

    Moderately hard to hard

    Details

    194–264 mg/l across 12 supply zones (97% of postcodes)

  • Hosepipe ban

    Hosepipe ban in force

    Details

    Bristol Water (Environment Agency, 11 October 2026). Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34

    See the notice ↗

  • Storm overflows

    260 overflows within 10 km of Bristol centre

    Details

    3,191 spills in 2025

  • Lead pipes

    70% built before 1973

    Details

    Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Bristol 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: 68–70%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

    Ask Bristol Water for a free lead test

    Lead test kits

Who supplies water in Bristol

  • Bristol Water

    Supplies 11,731 of 11,735 postcodes (100%)

    Bristol Water's phone number isn't in our records; their contact page lists it.

    Contact your supplier

    We can't confirm your sewerage company from official data for this area.

    Bristol Water

Boundary or unplaced: 4 postcodes

Drinking-water test record

Bristol Water: 11,731 of 11,735 postcodes

Bristol Water

Bristol Water, company-wide

Regulator
DWI
Report year
2025
Failed tests
Not shown
Tests
90,027

The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.

Failed tests by parameter
AluminiumFailed tests: 1
Clostridium Perfringens (sulphite-reducing clostridia) (confirmed)Failed tests: 1
E. coli (confirmed)Failed tests: 1
Enterococci (confirmed)Failed tests: 1
IronFailed tests: 2
ManganeseFailed tests: 1
NickelFailed tests: 4
Total coliforms (confirmed)Failed tests: 5

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 Bristol?

Across Bristol's supply zones, hardness ranges from 194 mg/l (moderately hard) to 264 mg/l (hard). Those 12 zones cover 97% of its postcodes.

12 identified supply zones in Bristol

Eastville, Easton, Netham and St Philips · Bristol Water (2,094 of 11,735 postcodes)

205 mg/l · 14.4 °Clark · 11.5 °dH · 20.5 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Eastville, Easton, Netham and St Philips (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Clifton, Horfield, Redland and Kingsdown · Bristol Water (1,736 of 11,735 postcodes)

212 mg/l · 14.9 °Clark · 11.9 °dH · 21.2 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Clifton, Horfield, Redland and Kingsdown (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Whitchurch, Hengrove, Knowle and Knowle Park · Bristol Water (1,697 of 11,735 postcodes)

238 mg/l · 16.7 °Clark · 13.3 °dH · 23.8 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Whitchurch, Hengrove, Knowle and Knowle Park (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Henbury, Henleaze and Stoke Bishop · Bristol Water (1,614 of 11,735 postcodes)

246 mg/l · 17.3 °Clark · 13.8 °dH · 24.6 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Henbury, Henleaze and Stoke Bishop (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Bedminster · Bristol Water (998 of 11,735 postcodes)

201 mg/l · 14.1 °Clark · 11.3 °dH · 20.1 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Bedminster (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Long Ashton, Failand, Bishopsworth and Dundry · Bristol Water (777 of 11,735 postcodes)

206 mg/l · 14.5 °Clark · 11.5 °dH · 20.6 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Long Ashton, Failand, Bishopsworth and Dundry (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Kingswood, Fishponds and Mangotsfield · Bristol Water (713 of 11,735 postcodes)

264 mg/l · 18.5 °Clark · 14.8 °dH · 26.4 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Kingswood, Fishponds and Mangotsfield (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Stapleton, St. George and Coombe · Bristol Water (662 of 11,735 postcodes)

234 mg/l · 16.4 °Clark · 13.1 °dH · 23.4 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Stapleton, St. George and Coombe (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Thornbury, Shirehampton, Pill and Portishead · Bristol Water (558 of 11,735 postcodes)

242 mg/l · 17.0 °Clark · 13.6 °dH · 24.2 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Thornbury, Shirehampton, Pill and Portishead (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Filton and Northville · Bristol Water (478 of 11,735 postcodes)

255 mg/l · 17.9 °Clark · 14.3 °dH · 25.5 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Filton and Northville (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Longwell Green, Saltford and Keynsham · Bristol Water (4 of 11,735 postcodes)

241 mg/l · 16.9 °Clark · 13.5 °dH · 24.1 °fH

Hard

Published figure.

Longwell Green, Saltford and Keynsham (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

Blagdon, Clutton, Peasdown, Midsomer Norton and Radstock · Bristol Water (3 of 11,735 postcodes)

194 mg/l · 13.6 °Clark · 10.9 °dH · 19.4 °fH

Moderately hard

Published figure.

Blagdon, Clutton, Peasdown, Midsomer Norton and Radstock (supply zone) · 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Source: Bristol Water — dated 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025, read 28 September 2026

397 postcodes without an identified supply zone

Bristol Water (397 of 11,735 postcodes)

We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.

Ask your water company

Storm overflows nearby

260 overflows within 10 km of Bristol centre · 3,191 spills in 2025

near Bristol centre

Bristol (11,735 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.

101 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.

Nearest 5 shown

  1. BROADMEAD ROUNDABOUT CSO

    Into RIVER FROME · 0.4 km from the centre of Bristol

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 79.7% of 2025

  2. BROADMEAD CSO

    Into RIVER FROME VIA SWS · 0.4 km from the centre of Bristol

    2 spills · 5 hours · Monitored 97.4% of 2025

  3. MARLBOROUGH STREET CSO

    Into RIVER FROME · 0.4 km from the centre of Bristol

    2 spills · 0.3 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025

  4. ST JAMES BARTON CSO

    Into RIVER FROME VIA SWS · 0.4 km from the centre of Bristol

    1 spill · 0 hours · Monitored 97.8% of 2025

  5. BOND STREET SOUTH CSO

    Into RIVER FROME · 0.4 km from the centre of Bristol

    0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 65% 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

70% built before 1973

70% 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 Bristol 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: 68–70%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).

Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.

Bristol (11,735 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.

About fluoride in UK water

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

Fluoride in UK tap water

Hosepipe bans

Get UK hosepipe news

Occasional news on UK hosepipe bans and water restrictions from TapWaterData. Unsubscribe any time.

See our privacy policy.

What you can do

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)

    reduces 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.

    View Details

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)

    reduces 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.

    View Details

We haven't verified a water softener for UK buyers yet.

What a pick has to pass:

  • An exact-model listing from NSF, WQA or IAPMO for the model sold in the UK
  • Listed to NSF/ANSI 44, the water softener standard
  • The manufacturer's documented feed connection and water-pressure range, so a plumber can check them against UK pipework
  • UK availability evidenced by Amazon UK, the manufacturer or a UK retailer, checked in the last 90 days

Until we can recommend one, see what a softener costs to buy, fit and run in the UK. Water softener cost

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

Questions about tap water in Bristol

Is the water in Bristol hard or soft?
Bristol Water: hard, 205 mg/l, 14.4 °Clark, 11.5 °dH, 20.5 °fH (Eastville, Easton, Netham and St Philips (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 212 mg/l, 14.9 °Clark, 11.9 °dH, 21.2 °fH (Clifton, Horfield, Redland and Kingsdown (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 238 mg/l, 16.7 °Clark, 13.3 °dH, 23.8 °fH (Whitchurch, Hengrove, Knowle and Knowle Park (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 246 mg/l, 17.3 °Clark, 13.8 °dH, 24.6 °fH (Henbury, Henleaze and Stoke Bishop (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 201 mg/l, 14.1 °Clark, 11.3 °dH, 20.1 °fH (Bedminster (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 206 mg/l, 14.5 °Clark, 11.5 °dH, 20.6 °fH (Long Ashton, Failand, Bishopsworth and Dundry (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 264 mg/l, 18.5 °Clark, 14.8 °dH, 26.4 °fH (Kingswood, Fishponds and Mangotsfield (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 234 mg/l, 16.4 °Clark, 13.1 °dH, 23.4 °fH (Stapleton, St. George and Coombe (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 242 mg/l, 17.0 °Clark, 13.6 °dH, 24.2 °fH (Thornbury, Shirehampton, Pill and Portishead (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: hard, 255 mg/l, 17.9 °Clark, 14.3 °dH, 25.5 °fH (Filton and Northville (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Bristol Water: hard, 241 mg/l, 16.9 °Clark, 13.5 °dH, 24.1 °fH (Longwell Green, Saltford and Keynsham (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure. Bristol Water: moderately hard, 194 mg/l, 13.6 °Clark, 10.9 °dH, 19.4 °fH (Blagdon, Clutton, Peasdown, Midsomer Norton and Radstock (supply zone), 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025). Published figure.
What does the drinking water regulator's record show for Bristol?
Bristol Water: at least 16 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 Bristol have lead pipes?
70% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Bristol 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: 68–70%. 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 Bristol 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

Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water, Bristol Water: Database right, used under the publisher's terms.

Water company boundaries © Water UK, licensed under CC BY 4.0Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated © Crown copyright

Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6

Check another postcode

By TapWaterData Editorial

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