Is Cambridge tap water safe to drink?
Cambridge Water: at least 1 test 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.
Cambridge tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Very hard
61% of Cambridge's postcodes · Cambridge City South (supply zone) · 2025
Details
61% of Cambridge's postcodes · Cambridge City South (supply zone) · 2025
Hosepipe ban
Hosepipe ban in force
Cambridge Water (Environment Agency, 11 October 2026). Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Details
Cambridge Water (Environment Agency, 11 October 2026). Checked 11 October 2026 at 02:34
Storm overflows
12 overflows within 10 km of Cambridge centre
81 spills in 2025
Details
81 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
50% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Cambridge 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: 49–50%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Details
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Cambridge 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: 49–50%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Who supplies water in Cambridge
Supplies 2,952 of 2,952 postcodes (100%)
We can't tell your sewerage company from official data for this area. It's named on your water bill.
Drinking-water test record
Cambridge Water: 2,952 of 2,952 postcodes
Cambridge Water
Cambridge Water, company-wide
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 29,664
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | 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
How hard is the water in Cambridge?
61% of Cambridge's postcodes are in the Cambridge City South supply zone (Cambridge Water): 307 mg/l, very hard.
Cambridge City South · Cambridge Water (1,788 of 2,952 postcodes)
307 mg/l · 21.6 °Clark · 17.2 °dH · 30.7 °fH
Zone average.
Cambridge City South (supply zone) · 2025
Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026
2 identified supply zones in Cambridge
Cambridge City South · Cambridge Water (1,788 of 2,952 postcodes)
307 mg/l · 21.6 °Clark · 17.2 °dH · 30.7 °fH
Zone average.
Cambridge City South (supply zone) · 2025
Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026
Cambridge City North · Cambridge Water (1,039 of 2,952 postcodes)
335 mg/l · 23.5 °Clark · 18.7 °dH · 33.5 °fH
Zone average.
Cambridge City North (supply zone) · 2025
Source: Cambridge Water — dated 2025, read 20 September 2026
125 postcodes without an identified supply zone
Cambridge Water (125 of 2,952 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Storm overflows nearby
12 overflows within 10 km of Cambridge centre · 81 spills in 2025
near Cambridge centre
Cambridge (2,952 of its postcodes) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Anglian Water.
6 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
CAMBRIDGE RIVERSIDE 187 CSO
Into River Cam · 1.1 km from the centre of Cambridge
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
CAMBRIDGE WATER RECYCLING CENTRE
Into THE RIVER CAM · 4.1 km from the centre of Cambridge
4 spills · 39.9 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
TEVERSHAM STW
Into Quy Water Bottisham Lode · 5.1 km from the centre of Cambridge
0 spills · 0 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
HASLINGFIELD WRC
Into River Rhee NT · 6.1 km from the centre of Cambridge
30 spills · 383.3 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
HARDWICK EAST PUMPING STATION
Into TRIB OF BIN BROOK · 7.5 km from the centre of Cambridge
6 spills · 71.8 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
50% built before 1973
50% 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 Cambridge 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: 49–50%. England and Wales: 61% (2026).
Older homes are more likely to have lead pipes. Only a test tells you whether yours does.
Cambridge (2,952 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
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 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
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 Cambridge
- Is the water in Cambridge hard or soft?
- Cambridge Water: very hard, 307 mg/l, 21.6 °Clark, 17.2 °dH, 30.7 °fH (Cambridge City South (supply zone), 2025). Zone average. Cambridge Water: very hard, 335 mg/l, 23.5 °Clark, 18.7 °dH, 33.5 °fH (Cambridge City North (supply zone), 2025). Zone average. Cambridge Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for Cambridge?
- Cambridge Water: at least 1 test 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 Cambridge have lead pipes?
- 50% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Cambridge 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: 49–50%. 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 Cambridge 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
- Cambridge Water contact page ↗ · 13 October 2026 · read 13 October 2026
- DWI england 2025, Annex B ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- DWI england 2025, national compliance ↗ · 2025 · read 13 October 2026
- Cambridge Water ↗ · 2025 · read 20 September 2026
- Cambridge Water ↗ · 2025 · read 20 September 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
Cambridge Water contact page, Cambridge Water, Cambridge 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