B49 tap water: what's in it?
Severn Trent Water: at least 40 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.
B49 tap water quality report · 2026
Hardness
Moderately hard
Redditch South (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Details
Redditch South (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Hosepipe ban
Not available
We can't confirm the hosepipe-ban status for Severn Trent Water from the information we hold.
Details
We can't confirm the hosepipe-ban status for Severn Trent Water from the information we hold.
Storm overflows
28 overflows within 10 km of B49 centre
331 spills in 2025
Details
331 spills in 2025
Lead pipes
50% built before 1973
Estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of B49 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 B49 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 B49
Supplies 394 of 394 postcodes (100%)
Sewerage: Usually Severn Trent Water — they provide water and sewerage across most of their area. Your water bill confirms yours.
Drinking-water test record
Severn Trent Water: 394 of 394 postcodes
Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent Water, company-wide
- Regulator
- DWI
- Report year
- 2025
- Failed tests
- Not shown
- Tests
- 452,303
The regulator's published total and its company rows disagree, so we don't show a count.
| Parameter | Failed tests |
|---|---|
| Benzo[a]Pyrene (total) | Failed tests: 1 |
| E. coli (confirmed) | Failed tests: 3 |
| Iron | Failed tests: 15 |
| Lead | Failed tests: 4 |
| Manganese | Failed tests: 2 |
| Nickel | Failed tests: 6 |
| Total coliforms (confirmed) | Failed tests: 8 |
| 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
How hard is the water in B49?
66% of B49's postcodes are in the Redditch South supply zone (Severn Trent Water): 172 mg/l, moderately hard.
Redditch South · Severn Trent Water (260 of 394 postcodes)
172 mg/l · 12.1 °Clark · 9.7 °dH · 17.2 °fH
Typical value.
Redditch South (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 29 September 2026
6 identified supply zones in B49
Redditch South · Severn Trent Water (260 of 394 postcodes)
172 mg/l · 12.1 °Clark · 9.7 °dH · 17.2 °fH
Typical value.
Redditch South (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 29 September 2026
Henley · Severn Trent Water (40 of 394 postcodes)
161 mg/l · 11.3 °Clark · 9.0 °dH · 16.1 °fH
Typical value.
Henley (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 29 September 2026
Headless Cross Zone · Severn Trent Water (27 of 394 postcodes)
204 mg/l · 14.3 °Clark · 11.4 °dH · 20.4 °fH
Typical value.
Headless Cross Zone (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 29 September 2026
Stratford · Severn Trent Water (25 of 394 postcodes)
161 mg/l · 11.3 °Clark · 9.0 °dH · 16.1 °fH
Typical value.
Stratford (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 29 September 2026
Inkberrow Zone · Severn Trent Water (13 of 394 postcodes)
190 mg/l · 13.4 °Clark · 10.7 °dH · 19.0 °fH
Typical value.
Inkberrow Zone (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 1 October 2026
Strensham · Severn Trent Water (12 of 394 postcodes)
161 mg/l · 11.3 °Clark · 9.0 °dH · 16.1 °fH
Typical value.
Strensham (supply zone) · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026
Source: Severn Trent Water — dated 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, read 1 October 2026
17 postcodes without an identified supply zone
Severn Trent Water (17 of 394 postcodes)
We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report.
Storm overflows nearby
28 overflows within 10 km of B49 centre · 331 spills in 2025
B49 (district) · 2025
Source: Environment Agency EDM annual return 2025 — dated 20 August 2026, read 13 October 2026
Overflows here are run by Severn Trent Water.
28 of these were monitored for only part of 2025.
Nearest 5 shown
FAIRWATER CRESCENT SPS
Into RIVER ALNE · 0.5 km from the centre of B49
8 spills · 76.7 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
ALCESTER (OVERSLEY GREEN) STW
Into RIVER ARROW · 1.1 km from the centre of B49
2 spills · 31.1 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
ALCESTER (OVERSLEY GREEN) STW
Into RIVER ARROW · 1.1 km from the centre of B49
34 spills · 384.2 hours · Monitored 99.5% of 2025
KINGS COUGHTON -BIRMINGHAM ROAD SPS
Into TRIBUTARY OF RIVER ARROW · 1.5 km from the centre of B49
6 spills · 38.6 hours · Monitored 100% of 2025
HASELOR - WALCOTE ROAD SPS
Into TRIBUTARY OF RIVER ALNE · 3 km from the centre of B49
3 spills · 36.6 hours · Monitored 98.8% 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.
Homes in the parts of B49 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.
B49 (district) · 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 B49
- Is the water in B49 hard or soft?
- Severn Trent Water: moderately hard, 172 mg/l, 12.1 °Clark, 9.7 °dH, 17.2 °fH (Redditch South (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value. Severn Trent Water: moderately hard, 161 mg/l, 11.3 °Clark, 9.0 °dH, 16.1 °fH (Henley (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value. Severn Trent Water: hard, 204 mg/l, 14.3 °Clark, 11.4 °dH, 20.4 °fH (Headless Cross Zone (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value. Severn Trent Water: moderately hard, 161 mg/l, 11.3 °Clark, 9.0 °dH, 16.1 °fH (Stratford (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value. Severn Trent Water: We do not have a verified hardness figure for this area. Ask your water company for its water quality report. Severn Trent Water: moderately hard, 190 mg/l, 13.4 °Clark, 10.7 °dH, 19.0 °fH (Inkberrow Zone (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value. Severn Trent Water: moderately hard, 161 mg/l, 11.3 °Clark, 9.0 °dH, 16.1 °fH (Strensham (supply zone), 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Typical value.
- What does the drinking water regulator's record show for B49?
- Severn Trent Water: at least 40 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 B49 have lead pipes?
- 50% of homes here were built before 1973 — estimate, not a test. Homes in the parts of B49 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 B49 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
- Severn Trent 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
- Severn Trent Water ↗ · 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026 · read 29 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
Severn Trent Water contact page, Severn Trent Water, Severn Trent Water, Severn Trent Water, Severn Trent Water, Severn Trent Water, Severn Trent 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 v3.0
Data generation uk-2026-10-16-derive6