Is Leeds tap water safe to drink?

Who supplies water in Leeds

Drinking-water test record

How hard is the water in Leeds?

Storm overflows nearby

Older homes and lead pipes

Fluoride

Hosepipe bans

What you can do

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)

• Why is my tap water brown?

  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 Leeds

Is the water in Leeds hard or soft?

Yorkshire Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 133 mg/l, 9.3 °Clark, 7.5 °dH, 13.3 °fH (Leeds LL Cross Green 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 147 mg/l, 10.3 °Clark, 8.2 °dH, 14.7 °fH (Leeds HL Cross Gates and Scholes 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: hard, 268 mg/l, 18.8 °Clark, 15.0 °dH, 26.8 °fH (Leeds Grid 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 133 mg/l, 9.4 °Clark, 7.5 °dH, 13.3 °fH (Leeds HL Hawksworth and Gledhow 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 115 mg/l, 8.0 °Clark, 6.4 °dH, 11.5 °fH (Leeds HL Bramley 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 128 mg/l, 9.0 °Clark, 7.1 °dH, 12.8 °fH (Morley Ossett 2017 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 124 mg/l, 8.7 °Clark, 7.0 °dH, 12.4 °fH (Leeds HL Headingley 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 90 mg/l, 6.3 °Clark, 5.1 °dH, 9.0 °fH (Pudsey 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 136 mg/l, 9.5 °Clark, 7.6 °dH, 13.6 °fH (Leeds HL Harewood and Shadwell 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 55 mg/l, 3.9 °Clark, 3.1 °dH, 5.5 °fH (Yeadon 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 129 mg/l, 9.1 °Clark, 7.2 °dH, 12.9 °fH (Leeds HL Harehills 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 143 mg/l, 10.0 °Clark, 8.0 °dH, 14.3 °fH (Tadcaster and Wetherby 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 128 mg/l, 9.0 °Clark, 7.1 °dH, 12.8 °fH (Leeds HL Wortley and Armley 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 140 mg/l, 9.8 °Clark, 7.8 °dH, 14.0 °fH (Leeds LL Horsforth and Tinshill 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 138 mg/l, 9.7 °Clark, 7.7 °dH, 13.8 °fH (Leeds LL Bramhope and Alwoodley 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 56 mg/l, 3.9 °Clark, 3.1 °dH, 5.6 °fH (Graincliffe 2004 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 88 mg/l, 6.2 °Clark, 4.9 °dH, 8.8 °fH (Morley Penfield 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 89 mg/l, 6.3 °Clark, 5.0 °dH, 8.9 °fH (Birkenshaw 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 93 mg/l, 6.5 °Clark, 5.2 °dH, 9.3 °fH (Bradford City South 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: moderately hard, 164 mg/l, 11.5 °Clark, 9.2 °dH, 16.4 °fH (Outwood 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: hard, 266 mg/l, 18.6 °Clark, 14.9 °dH, 26.6 °fH (Castleford 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 89 mg/l, 6.3 °Clark, 5.0 °dH, 8.9 °fH (Idle 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: slightly hard, 120 mg/l, 8.4 °Clark, 6.7 °dH, 12.0 °fH (Batley 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 54 mg/l, 3.8 °Clark, 3.0 °dH, 5.4 °fH (Baildon and Bingley 2024 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average. Yorkshire Water: soft, 75 mg/l, 5.3 °Clark, 4.2 °dH, 7.5 °fH (Bradford City North 2019 (supply zone), 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024). Zone average.

What does the drinking water regulator's record show for Leeds?

Yorkshire Water: at least 69 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 Leeds have lead pipes?

64% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of Leeds 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: 63–64%. 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 Leeds 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.